-II  B  RAR.Y 

OF   THE 
U  N  I  VERSITY 

or  ILLINOIS 
298 
D56n 


I .H.S. 


LIGHT  ON 


MRS.  ELLEN  E.  DICKINSON 


WITH    INTRODUCTION 

BY 

THURLO  W    WEED 


NEW  YORK 

FUNK    &    WAGNALLS 

10  AND  12  DEY  STREET 

1885 

Att  Righlt  Eetened 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  In  the  year  1885,  by 

FUNK  &  WAGNALLS, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


NOTICE 

AFTER  CAREFUL  EXAMINATION  OF  THE 

INNER  MARGIN  AND  TYPE  OF  MATERIAL 

WE  HAVE  SEWN  THIS  VOLUME  BY  HAND         rave  po- 

SO  IT  CAN  BE  MORE  EASILY  OPENED  -he  most 

AND  READ. 

______________ . t  its  true 

origin,  and  for  the  re-telling  of  an  old  story,  with  the  ad- 
dition of  facts  and  circumstances  that  have  not  hitherto 
been  printed. 

A  deeper  interest  may  be  felt  in  this  attempt  to  cut  to 
the  very  root  of  this  monstrous  parasite  upon  our  Ameri- 
can civilization,  by  my  stating  here  that  the  Rev.  Solo- 
Lo    mon  Spaulding,  the  author  of  the  romance  called  "  The 
Manuscript  Found,"  from  which  the  "Book  of  Mor- 
was  formulated,  was  my  mother's  uncle  by  mar- 
that  this  romance  was  for  a  long  time  in  the 
house  of  my  grandfather,' William  Harvey  Sabine,  near 
Syracuse,  New  York,  and  that  it  contained  no  sugges- 
tion of  polygamy. 

With  the  intention  of  writing  these  pages  I  visited 
Mrs.  McKinstry,  the  daughter  and  only  child  of  the 
Rev.  S.  Spaulding,  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  in  1880,  and 
she  then  made  a  sworn  statement  as  to  her  father's 
authorship  of  the  work  which  has  been  used  with  such 
disastrous  effect  by  crafty  men.  (Appendix  No.  1.) 

This  venerable  lady  at  the  time  mentioned  was  seventy- 
seven  years  of  age,  but  in  sound  health  and  possessed  of 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  In  the  year  1885,  by 

FUNK  &  WAGNALLS, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington,  D.  0. 


PEEFAOE. 


THE  rapid  growth  of  Mormonism  and  the  grave  po- 
litical aspect  it  has  assumed  render  it  one  of  the  most 
important  topics  of  current  reform. 

The  time  seems  ripe  for  giving  to  the  public  its  true 
origin,  and  for  the  re-telling  of  an  old  story,  with  the  ad- 
dition of  facts  and  circumstances  that  have  not  hitherto 
been  printed. 

A  deeper  interest  may  be  felt  in  this  attempt  to  cut  to 
the  very  root  of  this  monstrous  parasite  upon  our  Ameri- 
can civilization,  by  my  stating  here  that  the  Rev.  Solo- 
•>  inon  Spaulding,  the  author  of  the  romance  called  "  The 
Manuscript  Found,"  from  which  the  "Book  of  Mor- 
f^mon"  was  formulated,  was  my  mother's  uncle  by  mar- 
riage ;  that  this  romance  was  for  a  long  time  in  the 
house  of  my  grandfather,' William  Harvey  Sabine,  near 
Syracuse,  New  York,  and  that  it  contained  no  sugges- 
tion of  polygamy. 

"With  the  intention  of  writing  these  pages  I  visited 
Mrs.  McKinstry,  the  daughter  and  only  child  of  the 
Rev.  S.  Spaulding,  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  in  1880,  and 
she  then  made  a  sworn  statement  as  to  her  father's 
authorship  of  the  work  which  has  been  used  with  such 
disastrous  effect  by  crafty  men.  (Appendix  No.  1.) 

This  venerable  lady  at  the  time  mentioned  was  seventy- 
seven  years  of  age,  but  in  sound  health  and  possessed  of 


4  PKEFACB. 

excellent  memory.  She  resided  for  fifty  years  at  Mun- 
son,  Mass.,  where  she  is  favorably  known,  as  well  as  her 
son,  Dr.  McKinstry,  of  Long  Meadow,  near  Springfield, 
Mass.,  and  her  son-in-law,  Mr.  Seaton,  chief  clerk  of 
the  Census  Bureau,  Washington,  D.  C. 

With  Mrs.  McKinstry's  full  consent  to  follow  up  the 
subject,  several  localities  in  Ohio  and  Central  New  York 
were  visited  by  the  writer  in  the  autumn  of  1881,  and 
with  the  gleanings  thus  obtained,  the  family- traditions, 
the  letters  written  by  aged  people  conversant  with  the 
topic  and  roused  into  action  through  the  publishing  of 
the  statement  referred  to  in  the  Century  Magazine  (then 
Scribner 's),  the  following  pages  have  been  written.  It 
is  the  only  attempt  of  the  Rev.  S.  Spaulding's  relatives 
to  set  this  matter  in  its  proper  light,  a  duty  long  delayed 
to  the  memory  of  an  upright  man. 

ELLEN  E.  DICKINSON. 


AUTHORS  CONSULTED  AT  THE  ASTOR  LIBRARY, 


GUNNISON,  STENHOUSE, 

HYDE,  GREEN, 

KIDDER,  TUCKER, 

CASWELL,  Gov.  ELI  H.  MURRAY, 

AMERICAN  ENCYCLOPEDIA. 


INTEODUOTIOF. 


No.  12  WEST  TWELFTH  STREET, 
NEW  YORK,  July  9,  1882. 

IN  my  boyhood  I  resided  in  Onondaga  Hollow  (now 
Valley),  and  was  acquainted  with  William  H.  Sabine,  the 
grandfather  of  Mrs.  Ellen  E.  Dickinson,  the  author  of 
this  book,  and  well  remember  his  residence,  in  which  the 
Spaulding  manuscript  is  said  to  have  been  kept  for  some 
years.  1  have  not  read  this  book  myself,  as  my  health 
will  not  permit  it  ;  but  in  conversation  with  Mrs.  Dick- 
inson I  have  become  satisfied  that  she  has  introduced 
considerable  original  material,  and  has  gathered  from 
books  already  published  a  large  amount  of  interesting 
matter  relating  to  the  subject  of  Mormonism. 

This  seems  to  be  the  time  to  publish  a  narrative  of  the 
early  history  of  Mormonism.  The  subject  is  exciting 
great  interest  at  present  ;  and  as  no  books  have  been  pub- 
lished relating  to  it  for  many  years,  the  present  genera- 
tion has  slight  acquaintance  with  it. 

With  my  knowledge  of  Joseph  Smith  and  one  of  his 
first  followers,  Phelps,  a  Canandaigua  printer,  it  has 
been  for  more  than  half  a  century  the  occasion  of  sur- 
prise and  regret  that  such  vulgar  impostors  should  have 
obtained  a  following,  which  is  even  now  drawing  prose- 
lytes by  the  thousand  from  Europe. 

THURLOW  WEED. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Sketch  of  the  Life  of  Solomon  Spaulding  and  his  Authorship  of 
a  Romance  which  he  called  "  The  Manuscript  Found  "  . . . .  13 

CHAPTER  II. 

Following  the  Fate  of  "  The  Manuscript  Found  "  from  the  Year 
1816  to  1834 19 

CHAPTER  III. 

Sketch  of  Joseph  Smith's  Early  Life — The  Printing  of  the  "  Book 
of  Mormon  " 28 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Sketch  of  Sidney  Rigdon — Interview  with  General  and  Mrs. 
Garfield,  at  Mentor — Description  of  the  Mormon  Temple  at 
Kirtland,  Ohio 47 

CHAPTER  V. 

Interview  with  D.  P.  Hurlburt,  at  Gibsonburg,  Ohio,  and  with 
E.  D.  Howe,  at  Painesville,  Ohio,  in  1880 62 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Visit  to  Conneaut,  Ohio,    in    1880 — Reminiscences  of  Rev.    S. 

Spauldiug  and  the  First  Mormon  Conference,  in  1834 77 

CHAPTER  VII. 
The  Mormons  in  Missouri 82 


12  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   VIII. 
The    Mormons    at    Nauvoo — Description    of  the   Temple — The 
Death  of  the  Prophet 94 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Brighain  Young's  Election  to  the  Presidency — Expulsion  of  the 
Mormons  from  Nauvoo,  in  1846 113 

CHAPTER  X. 

The  Early  Political  Situation  of  the  Mormons  in  "  The  Land  of 
the  Honey  Bee  " — The  Mountain  Meadow  Butchery — The 
Influence  of  the  Mormons  Over  the  Indians 122 

CHAPTER  XI. 
Polygamy  in   Utah— The   Granting  of  Woman's   Suffrage    in 

1871— The  Edmunds'  Bill— Sketch  of  Brigham  Young 140 

CHAPTER  XII. 

John  Taylor  Elected  as  Successor  to  the  Second  Prophet  —The 
Trial  of  Rudger  Clawson,  Jr.,  for  Bigamy — Salt  Lake  City — 
Its  Beautiful  Location — The  Tabernacle  and  Public  Build- 
ings— Mormon  Conferences — The  Freedom  of  the  Ballot  in 
Utah — The  Present  Generation  of  Mormons — Predictions 
Regarding  the  Future  of  Mormonism — Far-seeing  Mormons 
Preparing  a  Rendezvous  for  the  Victims  of  the  Edmunds' 
Law 167 

CHAPTER   XIII. 

The  Doctrines  of  Mormonism — Hierachical  Organization — The 
"Book  of  Mormon  "—Church  Polity— The  Faith  of  the 
Latter-Day  Saints — Their  Modes  of  Worship 200 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

The  Josephites — Epitome  of  the  Faith  and  Doctrines  of  the  Re- 
organized Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-Day  Saints — 
David  Whitmer— The  Debate  at  Kirtland,  Ohio,  in  1884, 
Concerning  the  "Book  of  Mormon" — The  Revelation  on 

Celestial  Marriage  Given  to  Joseph  Smith  in  1843 215 

APPENDIX o 237 

IXDEX..  .  269 


NEW    LIGHT    ON    MORMOlSriSM, 


CHAPTER  I. 

Sketch  of  the  Life  of  Solomon  Spaulding  and  his  authorship  of  a 
romance  which  he  called  "The  Manuscript  Found." 

SOLOMON  SPAULDING  was  born  at  Ashford,  Conn.,  in 
1761,  of  a  highly  respectable  family  of  English  extrac- 
tion, some  of  whose  members  served  as  officers  in  the 
Revolutionary  "War. 

lie  was  educated  at  the  Plainfield,  Conn.,  Academy 
and  at  Dartmouth  College,  where  he  graduated  in  1785, 
subsequently  studying  theology,  and  preached  for* a  few 
years  in  some  obscure  New  England  town,  but  retired 
from  the  ministry,  it  is  said,  in  consequence  of  ill-health. 
Soon  after  leaving  Dartmouth  he  married  Miss  Matilda 
Sabine,  of  Pomfret,  Conn.  Next  we  hear  of  Mr. 
Spaulding  at  Cherry  Yalley,  N.  Y.,  where  he  became 
principal  of  an  academy,  and  remained  until,  through 
the  persuasion  of  his  brother,  John  Spaulding,  he  re- 
moved to  a  little  town  in  Ohio,  west  of  Buffalo,  called 
at  the  time  Salem,  but  now  known  as  Conneaut,  Ashta- 
bula  Co.  Here  the  Spaul dings,  with  Mr.  Henry  Lake, 
were  owners  of  an  iron  foundry,  and  were  engaged  in 
successful  business  until  the  War  of  1812,  which  ruined 
them  financially. 


14  NEW   LIGHT   OK   MOEMONISM. 

Solomon  Spaulding,  being  an  invalid,  remained  much 
of  the  time  in  his  own  house,  reading  and  writing.  He 
was  a  peculiar  man,  of  fine  education,  especially  devoted 
to  historical  study,  the  writing  of  essays  and  romances, 
and  given  to  talking  to  his  neighbors  of  what  he  had 
read  and  written. 

He  was  greatly  superior  to  the  people  generally  with 
whom  he  came  in  contact  in  that  part  of  the  country, 
both  in  mental  capacity  and  education,  possessed  a  com- 
manding personal  appearance — being  over  six  feet  in 
height — and  had  a  pleasing,  intelligent  countenance. 
With  all  these  advantages  he  was  naturally  looked  upon 
as  a  man  of  consequence,  and  his  opinions  and  conver- 
sation were  listened  to  with  earnest  consideration  by  his 
acquaintances  and  neighbors. 

He  was  in  the  habit  of  frequently  reading  to  them 
something  he  had  written  for  their  amusement  and 
benefit,  and  these  unique  entertainments  made  a  vivid 
and  lasting  impression  upon  those  who  were  so  fortunate 
as  to  attend  them. 

In  close  proximity  to  the  Spaulding  residence  there 
were  some  earth-mounds  ;  they  greatly  interested  him, 
and  in  order  to  have  one  of  them  investigated  he  had  a 
large  and  vigorous  tree  cut  down,  which,  on  examination, 
turned  out  to  be  one  thousand  years  old.  Buried  within 
the  mound  were  various  evidences  of  a  prehistoric  race, 
relics  of  a  civilized  condition,  mingled  with  human  bones, 
which  were  portions  of  gigantic  skeletons.  This  dis- 
covery very  greatly  excited  him  and  fired  his  imagination. 
He  had  been  the  very  first  person,  it  is  said,  to  specu- 
late and  write  on  the  origin  of  the  various  earth-mounds 
in  the  Mississippi  Yalley  and  that  region,  and  had  long 
had  a  theory  as  to  the  peopling  of  this  country  by  a  race 
which  had  inhabited  the  whole  Continent,  possessing  the 


NEW  LIGHT  OST  MORMONISM.  15 

refinements  of  civilization,  and  which  had,  in  some  un- 
accountable manner,  perished.  The  relics  secured  by  his 
workmen  seemed  to  confirm  this  idea  ;  here  he  found 
tangible  proofs  that  his  theories  and  conversations  on  the 
subject  were  not  the  mere  vagaries  of  a  distorted  and 
fanciful  imagination,  and  he  immediately  began  to  write 
a  new  romance. 

The  extreme  antiquity  of  the  relics  belonging  to  the 
race  whose  history  he  professed  to  give  led  him  to  adopt 
the  most  antique  style  of  composition,  and  so  he  imitated 
the  Scriptures,  as  the  most  ancient  book  in  the  world  ; 
and  his  knowledge  of  the  classics  and  histories  of  the 
olden  times  enabled  him  to  introduce  the  odd  names 
which  were  noticed  by  his  friends,  and  which  were  after- 
ward easily  distinguished  by  them.  In  common  with 
all  antiquarians,  Mr.  Spaulding  was  aware  that  the 
mound- builders  are  supposed  to  have  been  very  religious, 
as  well  as  superstitious  ;  but  as  to  the  nature  of  their 
religion  and  superstitions  it  is  impossible  to  determine 
aught,  save  their  striking  si miliarity  to  the  religion  of  the 
modern  Indians,  and  to  that  of  the  ancient  Magi  of 
Persia,  before  the  days  of  Zoroaster. 

Mr.  Spaulding  conceived  the  idea  that  among  the  pre- 
historic mementoes  discovered  by  his  workmen  some 
golden  plates  covered  with  hieroglyphical  writing  had 
been  found,  and  that  he  merely  translated  the  story  of  a 
people  whose  wanderings  and  sufferings  had  been  thereon 
inscribed,  and  of  which  he  had  deciphered  the  interpre- 
tation. He  altered  the  plot  of  his  novel  after  writing 
a  portion  of  it.  The  emigrant  Jews,  whose  story  he  pro- 
fessed to  narrate,  were,  in  the  first  instance,  fitted  out  at 
Rome  for  their  travels  ;  but  after  reflection  he  started 
them  from  Jerusalem,  with  Levi  and  his  four  sons,  under 
divine  direction.  Years  after,  when  his  manuscript  ro- 


16  NEW    LIGHT   OK   MOUMOJttSM. 

mance  was  eagerly  sought  for  at  Harlwich,  N.  Y.,  the 
rejected  beginning  of  his  story  was  found. 

Mr.  Spaulding  was  a  rapid  writer,  and  as  he  pro- 
gressed with  his  romance  from  day  to  day,  he  read  it  to 
his  wife  and  neighbors,  all  of  whom  were  greatly  im- 
pressed with  its  peculiarities.  He  called  it  "  The  Manu- 
script Found" — that  is,  a  written  history  of  a  lost  peo- 
ple, found  in  an  earth-mound.  It  purported  to  be  an 
account  of  the  peopling  of  America  by  the  lost  tribes  of 
Israel,  the  tribes  and  their  leaders  having  very  singular 
names  ;  among  them.  Mormon,  Moroni,  Lamenite,  and 
Nephi — names  found  nowhere  else  in  literature.  So 
much  interest  was  awakened  by  this  romance,  and  it  was 
such  a  distinction,  at  the  time,  to  write  a  book,  that  he 
determined  to  publish  it.  (Mr.  Spaulding  laughingly  re- 
marked to  Nathan  Howard,  a  neighbor,  that  probably  in 
a  century  from  that  time  his  account  of  the  early  in- 
habitants of  America  would  be  accepted  as  a  veritable 
history.)  For  this  purpose  he  removed  to  Pittsburg, 
where  he  had  a  friend  named  Patterson,  a  publisher,  to 
whom  he  gave  his  manuscript  for  inspection,  hoping  he 
would  print  it,  believing  that  its  publication  would  not 
only  establish  him  as  a  successful  author,  but  give  him, 
in  addition,  a  comfortable  competence.  The  war  had 
blasted  all  his  hopes  of  bettered  fortune  at  Conneaut  ; 
but  he  now  felt  sanguine  of  success  if  his  book  could 
reach  the  public  in  proper  form.  A  young  printer, 
named  Sidney  Rigdon,  was  in  Mr.  Patterson's  printing 
house  ;  he  had  been  there  but  a  short  time,  and,  from 
many  indisputable  facts,  it  is  believed  he  had  followed 
Mr.  Spaulding  from  Conneaut,  or  its  immediate  neigh- 
borhood, and  having  heard  him  read  "  The  Manuscript 
Found,"  and  announce  his  plan  for  its  publication,  de- 
vised a  treachery  toward  both  author  and  publisher,  which 


NEW    LIGHT*OX    MORMOXISM.  17 

the  world  has  reason  to  remember.  This  same  Sidney 
Rigdon  figured  prominently  twenty  years  later  as  a 
preacher  among  the  Mormons.  After  weeks  of  delay, 
during  which  time  Mr.  Spaulding's  manuscript  was  left 
carelessly  lying  about  in  the  office  of  the  printing  house, 
Mr.  Patterson  decided  not  to  publish  it.  He  admitted 
its  cleverness,  and  said  to  the  author,  "  Polish  it  up, 
finish  it,  and  you  will  make  money  out  of  it."  It  is 
probable  that  Mr.  Spaulding  did  not  attempt  to  find 
another  publisher,  as  he  was  disheartened  and  impecuni- 
ous. It  was  a  very  different  matter  to  publish  a  book 
at  that  time  from  the  present  era  of  books  and  book- 
making.  Within  a  few  months  he  seems  to  have  aban- 
doned his  attempt  to  have  his  romance  printed,  and  took 
his  family  to  Amity,  Washington  Co.,  Penn.,  where  he 
at  one  time  kept  a  store,  and  then  a  public-house,  and 
again  became  the  centre  of  an  admiring  circle  of  listen- 
ers to  his  talk  and  writings.  The  author  has  recently 
received  a  letter  (see  Appendix  No.  2)  from  a  very 
aged  man,  still  living  near  Amity,  who  distinctly  re- 
members Solomon  Spaulding  and  his  "  Manuscript 
Found."  This  same  Mr.  Miller  testifies  that  he  often 
heard  the  romance  read,  remembers  many  particulars  in 
it,  citing  a  description  in  the  story  where,  before  a 
battle,  one  of  the  armies  painted  their  faces  with  red 
paint  to  distinguish  them  from  their  enemies,  and  that 
he  afterward  read  the  same  description  in  the  same  con- 
nection in  the  "  Book  of  Mormon."  Mr.  Miller  remem- 
bers distinctly,  too,  that  Mr.  Spaulding  accused  Rigdon  of 
copying  his  manuscript  while  it  was  in  Mr.  Patterson's 
office,  giving  his  reasons  for  such  a  belief.  In  1816 
Mr.  Spaulding  died  of  consumption  at  Amity,  and  was 
there  buried  in  the  village  graveyard. 

His  friend  Miller  tells  how  he  nursed  him  in  his 


18  NEW    LIGHT    ON    MORMONISM. 

illness,  made  his  coffin,  helped  to  bury  him,  and  settled 
up  his  slender  estate.  At  this  time  "he  stooped  for- 
ward a  "little,  had  a  sober  visage,  was  reserved  in  conver- 
sation, and  very  candid  apparently  in  his  dealings,"  and 
"  I  think  he  was  a  very  good  man,"  adds  the  narrator 
of  this  unfortunate  author's  last  experiences. 

The  humble  head-stone  which  marks  his  grave  has 
been  almost  entirely  chipped  away  by  relic  hunters  of 
our  own  and  foreign  lands  ;  but  there  is  a  promise  that 
the  Historical  Society  of  Washington  Co.,  Penn.,  will 
replace  it  with  a  handsome  and  suitable  monument  at  no 
distant  day. 


CHAPTEE  II. 

Following  the  fate  of  "  The  Manuscript  Found  "  from  the  year  1816 
to  1834. 

IMMEDIATELY  after  Solomon  Spaulding's  death  at  Amity, 
Perm.,  in  1816,  Mrs.  Spaulding  and  her  daughter  re- 
moved to  the  residence  of  William  H.  Sabine  at  Onon- 
daga  Y alley  (called  "  Hollow"  at  the  time),  K  Y.,  tak- 
ing with  her  all  her  personal  effects.  According  to  the 
remembrances  of  certain  persons  now  living,  Mrs.  Spauld- 
ing was  greatly  esteemed  by  "Squire  Sabine,"  as  he 
was  familiarly  known.  She  was  his  only  sister,  and  a 
woman  of  intelligence,  refinement,  and  many  virtues, 
and  he  invited  her  to  make  a  prolonged  visit  at  his 
house  in  consequence  of  her  impoverished  condition. 
Mr.  Sabine  was  a  lawyer  of  distinction  and  wealth, 
a  graduate  of  Brown  University,  and  known  through- 
out central  New  York  for  his  legal  abilities  and  probity 
of  character.*  He  was  the  personal  friend  of  Judge 
Conklingof  Utica  (father  of  Roscoe  Conlding),  of  Judge 
Strong  of  Onondaga  Co. ,  and  of  J  udge  Miller  of  Cayuga 
Co.  (the  father-in-law  of  William  H.  Seward),  and  of  all 
the  leading  men  of  that  part  of  the  State,  one  of  the 
most  prominent  of  whom  was  Judge  Joshua  Forman, 
his  brother-in-law  and  partner,  whose  name  will  al- 
ways be  associated  with  the  history  of  our  country  in 

*  It  may  also  be  stated  that  Mr.  Sabine  accepted  a  military  com- 
mission, and  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Captain,  and  in  1811  with- 
drew from  the  service.  He  was  a  strong  Federalist,  and  was  candi- 
date for  the  Assembly  in  1815,  1816,  and  1817. 


20  NEW   LIGHT   OK   MOBMOSTISM. 

connection  with  his  instrumentality  in  the  construction 
of  the  Erie  Canal  and  originating  the  banking  system 
called 'the  "  Safety  Fund  Act,"  during  the  administra- 
tion of  Martin  Van  Buren  as  Governor  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  which  subsequently  became  a  law  in  this 
State,  and  in  1860  was  adopted  by  the  general  govern- 
ment, and  is  now  in  general  use.* 

Squire  Sabine's  house  remains  in  perfect  preservation, 
is  still  owned  by  the  family  ;  and  Mrs.  McKinstry,  in 
talking  of  it  two  years  since,  described  its  rooms  and 
surroundings  as  she  saw  them  in  1816  and  1817,  which 
correspond  very  closely  to  their  present  condition. 

Among  Mrs.  Spaulding's  belongings  which  she  con- 
veyed to  the  old  homestead  was  a  hair-covered  trunk,  of 
a  kind  much  used  in  those  days,  filled  with  her  deceased 
husband's  writings,  which  she  had  preserved — sermons, 
essays,  novels,  and  a  manuscript,  which  she  and  all  the 
family  were  familiar  with,  under  the  title  of  "  The 
Manuscript  Found."  Mrs.  McKinstry,  Mr.  Spaulding's 
daughter,  says  that  she  perfectly  remembers  this  trunk 
and  its  contents  ;  that  it  was  in  the  garret  of  the  house  ; 
that  she  and  her  cousins  (one  of  them  the  mother  of  the 
writer)  had  access  to  it  and  frequently  looked  it  through. 
She  remembers  one  set  of  papers  or  manuscripts  an  inch 
thick,  closely  written  and  tied  up  with  some  of  the  stones 
which  she  recognized  as  having  been  written  by  her 
father,  and  read  to  her  by  him  at  Conneaut.  One  of 
these  stories  was  called  "  The  Frogs  of  Wyndham,"  and 
she  repeated  it  to  the  writer  recently,  giving  an  imitation 
of  her  father's  comic  recitation  of  it.  One  of  the  manu- 
scripts she  distinctly  remembers  to  have  seen  had  the 
title  '"  The  Manuscript  Found." 


See  Mnrjnzrne  of  American  His/on/,  June,  1882. 


NEW  LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM.  21 

As  she  was  between  eleven  and  twelve  years  of  age  at 
this  time,  and  precocious,  she  well  understood  what  she 
saw  and  read.  The  trunk  containing  the  manuscript  is 
understood  to  have  been  in  Mr.  Sabine's  house  nearly 
three  years.  While  it  was  there  Mrs.  Anna  T.  Red- 
field,  still  living  in  Syracuse,  K.  Y.,  eighty-three  or 
four  years  of  age,  of  sound  mind  and  memory,  and  of 
high  social  position  (see  Appendix  No.  3),  was  a  resident 
in  Mr.  Sabine's  family. 

She  also  remembers  hearing  a  great  deal  of  a  manu- 
script which  Mrs.  Spaulding  said  was  written  by  her  de- 
ceased husband,  and  the  comments  made  upon  it  by  Mr. 
Sabine  and  the  neighbors,  and  their  all  agreeing  that  it 
was  a  wonderful  story,  both  in  style  and  substance.  In 
after  years,  in  seeing  the  "  Book  of  Mormon,"  she  found 
names  and  incidents  in  it  which  she  heard  in  connection 
with  the  Spaulding  manuscript  at  Onondaga  Valley. 
The  writer  has  often  heard  members  of  her  family  say 
that  Joe  Smith  was  at  one  time  their  servant  or  hired 
man.  Probably  it  was  while  Mrs.  Spaulding  was  at 
Onondaga  Yalley. 

Smith  was  in  Onondaga  County  about  the  time  men- 
tioned, as  his  name  (according  to  Gunnisou)  appears  in 
the  criminal  records  of  1817.  He  was  about  eighteen  or 
nineteen  years  old,  possibly  twenty,  when  he  was  in  the 
Onondaga  County  Jail  for  "  vagrancy  and  debt,"  and 
this  jail  was  then  at  Onondaga  Hill,  two  miles  from*  Mr. 
Sabine's  house.  An  old  man  remembered  that  Smith  was 
about  this  time  employed  to  "  locate"  water  with  sticks  of 
witch-hazel,  the  "divining-rods"  in  the  vicinity  of  Syra- 
cuse and  Onondaga  Yalley,  and  there  is  a  local  tradition 
that  he  was  employed  to  look  for  gold  in  what  is  supposed 
to  be  an  earth-mound,  a  conical-shaped  hill,  between 
Syracuse  and  Onondaga  Yalley,  with  his  "seer-stone." 


22  NEW    LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM. 

There  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  Joe  Smith  was  once 
in  the  employ  of  Mr.  Sabine  as  a  teamster  and  man  for 
out-door  work,  taking  his  meals  in  the  kitchen,  and 
hearing  the  talk  of  the  house. 

Some  authors  on  Mormonism  have  said  Smith  stole  the 
Spaulding  manuscript  while  at  Mr.  Sabine's  ;  this  state- 
ment is  not  correct.  He  heard  of  it,  and  from  his 
knowledge  of  it  was  afterward  prepared  to  use  what  he 
knew  of  the  matter  in  getting  up  one  of  the  greatest 
delusions  in  the  history  of  modern  times. 

Joseph  Sabine,  Esq.,  of  Syracuse,  son  of  William  H. 
Sabine,  now  deceased,  twice  wrote  his  recollections  for 
New  York  newspapers  of  the  family  traditions  in  rela- 
tion to  Mr.  Spaulding,  his  romance,  its  being  in  his  fa- 
ther s  house,  and  o£  Joe  Smith's  residence  at  Onondaga 
Yalley. 

In  1820  Mrs.  Spaulding  married  Mr.  Davison  of 
Ilartwick,  near  Cooperstown,  N.  Y.  Mrs.  McKinstry 
says  she  vividly  remembers  seeing  the  hair  trunk  and 
looking  over  its  contents  in  a  closet  in  Mr.  Davison' s 
house,  at  Cooperstown,  where  it  had  been  removed,  and 
noticing  its  important  feature,  "  The  Manuscript  Found  ;" 
but  the  two  ladies,  mother  and  daughter,  in  their  new  re- 
lations and  new  home,  did  not  give  the  same  attention 
to  Mr.  Spaulding' s  literary  legacy  that  they  had  while  in 
Mr.  Sabine's  house. 

In  1828  Matilda  Spaulding  married  Dr.  A.McKinstry, 
of  Munson,  Hampden  Co.,  Mass.,  and  her  mother  fol- 
lowed her  a  little  while  afterward  to  make  a  visit,  which, 
for  some  family  reasons  (on  the  part  of  Mrs.  Davison), 
eventuated  in  her  remaining  there  permanently  until  her 
death.  She  placed  her  furniture,  and  with  it  the  old 
Spaulding  trunk  of  manuscripts,  in  the  custody  of  a  cousin 
at  ITurtwick,  namerl  Jerome  Clark. 


XEW    LIGHT   ON    MORMONISM.  23 

Here  it  must  be  remem-bered  that  the  facilities  for 
travel  and  transportation  were  then  very  different  from 
the  present  expeditious  methods  by  railway  and  express. 
Fifty  years  ago  journeys  were  slowly  and  expensively 
accomplished  ;  and  in  leaving  her  effects  with  a  cousin 
she  felt  they  were  safe,  and  that  she  would  return  for 
them  ;  and  she  had  not  the  remotest  suspicion  of  the 
use  to  be  made  of  one  of  the  manuscripts  by  fraudu- 
lent men  almost  immediately  after  her  departure  from 
Hartwick. 

Soon  after  Mrs.  Davison  went  to  Mtmson  the  "whole 
country  was  filled  with  an  agitation  in  regard  to  a  new 
religious  faith  called  Mormonism  ;  and  the  report  that  it 
was  founded  on  Solomon  Spaulding's  romance,  "  Manu- 
script Found,1'  quickly  followed,  to  the  immense  surprise 
of  Mrs.  Davison,  Mrs.  McKinstry,  and  every  one  con- 
nected with  the  author  of  that  remarkable  and  unfortu- 
nate novel.  Then  a  report  was  directly  carried  to  these 
ladies,  that  a  great  meeting  of  Mormons  had  been  held  at 
Conneaut,  Ohio,  and  that  on  one  occasion,  when  the 
"  Book  of  Mormon"  was  read  before  the  assemblage, 
John  Spaulding  and  Mr.  Lake,  the  former  partners  of 
Solomon  Spaulding,  and  many  other  persons  who  were 
present,  recognized  its  similarity  to  the  story  called 
"  The  Manuscript  Found,"  with  which  they  had  been  so 
familiar  years  before  (see  statements  4th  and  5th,  Ap- 
pendix) in  that  very  locality. 

She  was  not  a  little  excited  over  what  she  heard  of  the 
Mormons,  and  Mrs.  McKinstry  says  she  remembers  how 
her  mother  talked  on  the  subject,  expressing  a  firm  con- 
viction that  Sidney  Rigdon  had  copied  the  manuscript, 
which  had  been  in  Mr.  Patterson's  office  in  Pittsburg. 
She  also  said  at  this  time  that  Mr.  Spaulding  had  assured 
her  that  he  recovered  his  original  manuscript  when  Mr. 


24  STEW   LIGHT  ON   MORMONISM. 

Patterson  refused  to  publish  it ;  and  she  never  wavered 
or  doubted  in  this  belief. 

That  the  Mormons  agreed  with  her  in  this  conviction, 
and  felt  that  their  exposure  and  ruin  were  certain  if  the 
Spaulding  manuscript  remained  in  existence,  is  proved 
by  the  trick  which  they  practised  to  get  it  into  their 
possession.  Previous  to  this  time,  when  the  Mormon 
fraud  was  inaugurated  at  Palmyra,  the  report  of  it 
naturally  reached  Hartwick  ;  and  some  one  who  was 
acquainted  with  the  fact  that  Spaulding's  writings  were 
in  the  hands  of  Jerome  Clark  applied  to  him  request- 
ing to  see  them,  and  he  refused.  He  probably  allowed 
persons  interested,  whom  he  could  trust,  to  look  over 
the  contents  of  the  old  trunk.  A  son  of  this  Mr.  Clark, 
now  residing  in  Sonoma,  California  (see  Appendix  No. 
6),  wrote  to  the  author  that  when  he  sold  his  father's 
farm  near  Hartwick,  in  186i,  the  old  trunk  known  to  the 
family  as  having  belonged  to  the  Spauldings  was  still  in 
the  garret.  Mrs.  George  Clark  also  remembers  "  that 
Mrs.  Davison  once  while  visiting  them  gave  her  a  manu- 
script to  read  written,  as  she  said,  by  Mr.  Spaulding,  as 
a  pastime  to  while  away  the  days  of  sickness."  From 
these  letters  of  the  Clarks  it  appears  that  Mrs.  Davison 
spent  some  time  with  them  at  Hartwick  "  nearly  fifty 
years  ago,  and  went  from  there  direct  to  Munson, 
Mass." 

Later,  she  sent  word  to  these  relatives  to  sell  the 
furniture  which  they  had  stored  for  her,  but  the  trunk 
remained.  Mrs.  McKinstry  states  that  her  mother  fully 
intended  to  return  to  Hartwick.  Certain  events  occur- 
red to  prevent  it,  which  are  not  necessary  to  be  related 
here. 

It  will  be  subsequently  seen  that  "The  Manuscript 
Found"  was  stolen  from  her. 


NEW    LIGHT   ON    MORMONISM.  25 

Onondaga  Yalley,  Hart  wick,  and  Palmyra,  being  con- 
tiguous in  central  New  York,  the  story  of  the  Spaulding 
manuscript  was  familiar  to  many  people,  as  well  as  to 
the  residents  of  Conneaut,  where  the  first  great  confer- 
ence of  the  Mormons  was  held. 

Of  .the  professed  converts  to  Mormonisrn,  so  long  as  it 
suited  a  scheme  he  had  to  make  money  out  of  it,  was  one 
Dr.  D.  P.  Hurlburt,  a  man  of  good  address  and  fine 
personal  appearance.  He  was  sent  by  a  committee,  as 
he  at  the  time  represented  the  matter,  to  visit  Mrs. 
Davison  at  Munson,  Mass.,  and  ask  permission  to  carry 
"  The  Manuscript  Found,"  written  by  Solomon  Spauld- 
ing, to  Conneaut,  in  order  to  compare  it  with  the  "  Book 
of  Mormon." 

Further  on  in  these  pages  there  is  an  account  of  an  in- 
terview with  this  Dr.  Hurlburt,  who  was  still  living  at 
Gibsonburg,  Ohio,  in  November,  1880. 

The  perfect  familiarity  of  the  Mormon  leaders  with 
the  history  of  the  Spaulding  manuscript  at  the  time  is 
proved  by  Dr.  Hurlburt's  method  to  obtain  it.  His  visit 
to  William  H.  Sabine,  at  Ononodaga  Yalley,  to  procure 
a  letter  of  introduction  to  Mrs.  Davison,  with  a  request 
from  him  to  let  Hurlburt  have  the  manuscript,  was  a 
subtle  and  clever  contrivance,  undoubtedly  suggested  by 
Joseph  Smith,  who  was  acquainted  with  his  former  em- 
ployer s  peculiarities,  his  probity  of  character,  and  un- 
questionable willingness  to  assist  in  proving  the  "  Book 
of  Mormon"  to  be  a  plagiarism  of  Spaulding' s  romance. 

In  the  year  1834  Dr.  Hurlburt,  after  procuring  a 
letter  of  introduction  to  Mrs.  Davison  from  her  brother, 
William  H.  Sabine,  at  Onondaga  Yalley,  proceeded  in 
his  nefarious  scheme  for  obtaining  the  original  Spauld- 
ing "Manuscript  Found."  When  he  appeared  at 
Munson,  Mass.,  equipped  with  this  letter  and  the  re- 


26  NEW    LIGHT   OX    MOiniOXISM. 

quest  it  contained,  that  Mrs.  Davison  should  write  an 
order  to  Jerome  Clark  to  give  him  the  manuscript,  both 
Mrs.  Davison  and  Mrs.  McKinstry  distrusted  his  motives 
at  once. 

With  a  woman's  quick  perception  of  character,  they 
each  had  an  intuition,  from  something  in  his  personal 
appearance,  that  he  was  deceptive,  and  that  he  visited 
them  for  no  good  purpose.  He  told  them  that  he  had 
been  a  convert  to  Mormonism,  but  was  now  convinced  of 
its  fallacies  and  plagiarisms,  and  had  come  to  them  to 
ask  their  assistance  in  exposing  the  shameful  imposition 
to  the  world. 

With  all  his  honeyed  words,  Mrs.  Davison  disliked  the 
man.  She  was  careful  to  have  her  daughter  with  her 
during  the  interview,  and  so  unwilling  was  she  to  yield 
to  her  brother's  request  to  loan  the  manuscript,  that  she 
requested  Dr.  Hurlburt  to  stay  over  night  that  she  might 
reflect  thoroughly  upon  the  matter  ;  and  it  was  only  after 
his  protracted  waiting,  and  his  repeated  and  apparently 
sincere  assurances  that  he  would  in  due  season  return  the 
manuscript,  that  she  at  last  gave  him  the  order  to  Jerome 
Clark,  at  Hartwick,  to  deliver  it  into  his  temporary  keep- 
ing. 

This  unfortunate  surrender,  Mrs.  McKinstry  says,  her 
mother  regretted  to  her  dying  day,  since  it  was  entirely 
against  her  better  judgment,  and  that  she  only  yielded 
in  deference  to  her  brother's  demand,  as  she  had  great 
respect  for  his  opinion. 

Yery  soon  after  Ilurlbtirt  left  Munson  the  ladies  heard 
directly  from  Mr.  Clark,  that  he  had  given  him  "  The 
Manuscript  Found,"  and  that  he  "  opened  the  old  trunk 
for  the  purpose." 

Lieutenant  Gunnison,  in  his  "  History  of  Mormonism, " 
says  that  Clark  either  by  accident  or  design  retained  a 


NEW    LIGHT   ON    MORMONISM.  27 

part  of  the  manuscript,  which  accounts  for  the  report 
that  years  after  a  quire  of  paper  was  found  in  the  trunk 
with  Spaulding's  first  attempt  at  the  romance. 

So  far  we  have  traced  u  The  Manuscript  Found"  to 
the  care  of  Hurlburt,  who  gave  his  most  unqualified  and 
sacred  promise  to  return  it  to  its  proper  owner  ;  but  from 
the  time  it  was  intrusted  to  his  keeping,  no  member  of 
Mrs.  Davison's  family  has  ever  seen  it. 

A  few  weeks  after  Jerome  Clark  placed  it  in  Hurlburt's 
hands,  at  Hartwick,  Mrs.  Davison  and  her  daughter,  as 
well  as  other  members  of  the  family,  learned  that  a  manu- 
script, said  to  be  the  one  Hurlburt  had  received,  was  shown 
and  read  at  Conneaut ;  but  this  report  was  never  com- 
pletely verified. 

Mrs.  Davison  made  repeated  requests  by  letter  to 
Hurlburt  to  return  her  property,  but  he  never  responded 
by  message  or  letter  to  her  demands,  or  noticed  her  ap- 
peals in  any  manner,  and  entirely  ignored  the  matter. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Sketch  of  Joseph  Smith's  early  life  and  the  printing  of  the  "Book 
of  Mormon." 

MOEMONISM  was  founded  by  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  in  the 
year  1830,  at  Palmyra,  N.  Y.  He  has  been  called  "  the 
American  Mahomet,"  and  he  himself  declared  the 
"Book  of  Mormon"  to  be  the  Bible  of  the  Western 
Continent,  and  the  word  Mormon  to  be  derived  from 
several  languages,  and  to  mean  "  more  good."  He  was 
born  at  Sharon,  Yt.  The  date  of  his  birth  is  not  ac- 
curately known,  but  is  supposed  to  be  about  the  year 
1800,  possibly  a  little  earlier.  His  father's  name  was 
Joseph,  and  his  mother's  maiden  name  was  Lucy  Mack, 
and  both  were  of  Scotch  descent.  They  had  nine  chil- 
dren—Hyrum,  Alvin,  Joseph,  Samuel,  Harrison,  Will- 
iam, Don  Carlos,  Sophronia,  Catherine,  and  Lucy. 

The  family  removed  to  Palmyra,  central  New  York, 
while  Joseph  was  still  a  lad  of  nine  or  ten  years  of  age. 
Mrs.  Smith  was  a  woman  who  was  full  of  odd  conceits 
and  superstitions,  while  possessing  a  great  deal  of  natural 
talent,  and  she  ruled  her  husband,  who  was  a  weak 
character. 

Before  the  family  left  Yermont  the  parents  had 
agreed  that  one  of  their  several  children  was  to  be  or 
would  be  a  prophet  5  and  as  Joseph  resembled  his  mother 
more  than  the  others  in  a  certain  mental  quickness  and 
in  his  powers  of  dissimulation,  they  settled  upon  him  as 
the  ' '  genius' '  of  the  household. 

It  is  said  that  Joseph  at  an  early  age  could  read,  but 


NEW    LIGHT    0^    MORMONISM.  29 

not  write  ;  and  when  quite  young  committed  these  lines 
to  memory  from  the  story  of  Captain  Kidd,  the  notori- 
ous pirate,  which  seemed  to  give  him  great  pleasure  : 

"  My  name  was  Robert  Kidd 

As  I  sailed,  as  I  sailed  ; 
And  most  wickedly  I  did 
As  I  sailed,  as  I  sailed." 

The  Smiths  lived  two  or  three  miles  from  the  town  of 
Palmyra,  then  in  Ontario  County,  now  "Wayne,  and  were 
the  terror  and  torment  of  the  neighborhood.  They 
seemed  to  have  no  regular  occupation,  to  have  been 
"everything  by  turns,  and  nothing  long. "  The  father 
was  a  cooper  by  trade,  and  he  dug  wells  and  worked  on 
the  neighboring  farms  when  he  could  ;  he  also  peddled 
beer  and  ginger  bread,  doing  a  thriving  business  on 
training  days.  The  whole  family  made  baskets  and 
maple  sugar,  and  raised  and  sold  garden  stuff,  at  odd 
times,  and  the  mother  washed  by  the  day  ;  but  her  em- 
ployers were  careful  to  have  the  clothes  in  before  dark, 
as  experience  had  taught  them  they  would  disappear  if 
left  on  the  lines  over  night.  The  youthful  Joseph  as- 
sisted generally,  and  was  an  adept  in  robbing  hen-roosts 
and  orchards ;  indeed,  from  all  accounts,  the  Smiths 
were  considered  a  thoroughly  disreputable  family. 

A  certain  superstitious  feeling  concerning  them  also 
existed  in  the  minds  of  their  more  ignorant  neighbors  on 
account  of  the  reputation  Mrs.  Smith  had  for  "  telling- 
fortunes"  (see  Appendix  No.  9). 

Mr.  Seth  W.  Chapman  at  present  owns  the  property 
that  was  then  known  as  the  Smith  farm.  "What  is  now 
the  dining-room  of  the  dwelling  was  the  living-room  of 
the  numerous  Smiths,  with  two  attic  chambers  above  and 
a  cellar  underneath.  Later  a  bedroom  was  added  on  the 
ground  floor. 


30  NEW    LIGHT    OST   3IORMONISM. 

Very  early  Mrs.  Smith  instructed  her  son  Joseph  to 
set  up  a  claim  for  miraculous  powers,  which  he  willingly 
adopted.  While  he  was  watching  the  digging  of  a  well, 
or  himself  digging  it,  he  found,  or  pretended  to  find,  a 
peculiarly  shaped  stone  that  resembled  a  child's  foot  in 
its  outlines.  It  has  been  said  that  this  little  stone,  after- 
ward known  as  the  "peek  stone"  and  the  '"Palmyra 
seer  stone,"  had  been  in  the  possession  of  Mrs.  Smith's 
family  for  generations,  and  that  she  merely  presented  it 
to  Joseph  when  he  was  old  enough  to  work  miracles  with 
it ;  and  that  he  hid  it  in  the  earth  to  find  it  again  when  it 
was  convenient.  As  has  been  written,  this  "  seer  stone" 
was  "  the  acorn  of  the  Mormon  oak." 

From  that  time  on  Joseph  Smith  fooled  the  credu- 
lous residents  of  the  sparsely  settled  vicinity  with  the 
"  peeker"  in  his  white  stove-pipe  hat,  which  he  held 
close  to  his  face  :  he  saw  very  remarkable  sights — buried 

v  O 

treasures  of  gold  and  silver,  etc.  ;  he  could  trace  stolen 
property,  tell  where  herds  of  cattle  had  strayed,  and 
where  water  was  to  be  found.  With  the  "  peek  stone" 
he  carried  a  rod  of  witch-hazel,  to  assist  in  the  discovery 
of  water ;  and  between  the  stone  and  the  rod  he  eked 
out  a  precarious  subsistence. 

A  personage  of  this  peculiar  type  was  sure  to  find 
followers  ;  and  "  Joe  Smith,"  as  he  was  called,  soon  be- 
came the  head  of  a  band  that  slept  during  the  day  and 
wandered  in  the  night-time  to  such  places  as  they  were 
directed  to  by  their  leader  to  dig  for  hidden  treasures. 

Joe  laid  down  certain  laws  to  his  "  phalanx"  in  their 
operations  ;  and  if  they  disobeyed  his  rules,  the  charm  of 
the  proceeding  was  broken.  So  it  frequently  happened, 
when  he  assured  his  friends  that  they  were  close  to  the 
coveted  prize,  if  the  commanded  silence,  which  may 
have  lasted  for  hours,  was  broken  by  the  slightest  mani- 


NEW    LIGHT    OX    MORMONISJI.  31 

festation  of  gratified  pleasure,  he  declared  the  gold,  or 
silver,  had  been  "spirited  away,"  and  he  must  again 
"  follow  the  lead  of  the  witch-hazel  and  '  peek  stone  '  to 
see  where  it  had  '  located.'  '  When  Joe  wanted  fresh 
meat  for  his  family,  he  gave  out  that  it  would  be  neces- 
sary to  insure  the  success  of  the  "diggers,"  as  these 
worthies  were  called,  by  having  a  black  sheep  killed,  as 
a  sacrificial  offering,  before  going  to  work. 

This  state  of  affairs  continued  for  some  time,  and  his 
reputation  extended  to  the  adjacent  counties,  which  he 
often  visited.  He  disappeared  for  four  years,  which  are 
involved  in  mystery  ;  but  he  is  known  to  have  been  dur- 
ing that  time  in  both  Onondaga  and  Chenango  counties, 
as  his  name  appears  in  the  criminal  records  of  both  as  a 
vagabond. 

It  must  have  been  during  this  absence  from  Ontario 
(now  Wayne)  County  that  he  was  employed  by  William 
H.  Sabine,  Esq.,  at  Ouondaga  Valley,  in  1819  or  1820. 
Smith,  by  his  own  statement,  at  one  time  worked  for  a 
man  by  the  name  of  Stowell,  near  Hartwick,  where  the 
trunk  containing  Spaulding's  manuscript  and  other  writ- 
ings was  at  the  time  deposited.  He  is  also  known  to 
have  been  in  Broome  County,  and  at  Harpers ville,  Penn., 
visiting  some  relatives  of  his  mother's. 

At  that  time  there  was  a  peddler  named  Parley  P. 
Pratt,  afterward  distinguished  for  his  connection  with 
Mormonism,  who  was  familiar  with  the  affairs  of  the  day, 
and  knew  everybody  of  the  slightest  note  in  western 
"New  York  and  northern  Ohio.  He  frequently  extended 
his  trips  into  northern  Pennsylvania.  His  family  re- 
sided at  Mentor,  Ohio.  Sidney  Rigdon  made  mysterious 
journeys  to  Pennsylvania  ;  but  exactly  when  and  where 
Smith,  Rigdon,  and  Pratt  met,  it  is  now  impossible  to  de- 
termine. There  is  conclusive  evidence,  however,  that 


32  NEW    LIGHT    OX   MORMONISM. 

they  did  meet,  Pratt  being,  it  is  supposed,  the  medium  of 
Rigdon's  and  Smith's  knowledge  of  each  other,  the  first 
having  copied  the  Spaulding  romance  at  Pittsburg,  and 
soon  after  retiring  from  his  trade  "  to  study  the  Script- 
ures," as  he  said,  and  avowing  his  intention  to  become  a 
preacher.  His  ostensible  residence  was  also  at  Mentor, 
Ohio,  and  it  is  an  established  fact  that  he  visited  Pitts- 
burg  and  the  interior  of  Pennsylvania. 

Smith  is  known  to  have  had  a  copy  of  the  Spaulding 
manuscript  in  his  possession  about  the  year  1820,  or  at 
the  time  these  three  worthies  met,  as  it  is  certain  that  the 
scheme  of  the  great  Mormon  fraud  was  determined 
about  this  period  between  Smith  and  Rigdon,  and 
arrangements  made  to  develop  it  as  quickly  as  circum- 
stances would  permit  and  money  could  be  procured  for 
the  purpose. 

Smith  was  wandering  through  the  country  during 
these  years  of  mystery  a  portion  of  the  time,  and  was  oc- 
casionally seen  at  Palmyra.  He  heard  the  theories  (as  it 
was  a  common  topic  of  conversation  at  the  time)  that 
were  afloat  to  account  for  the  peopling  of  America  ;  the 
traditions  collected  from  the  Indians  ;  the  Hebrew  tradi- 
tions among  them  ;  the  discovery  of  ruined  cities  and 
temples  in  Central  America  ;  the  relics  of  pottery,  bricks, 
and  stumps  of  axe-cut  trees,  buried  far  beneath  the  sur- 
face of  the  Mississippi  Valley.  He  had  the  wit  to  under- 
stand when  Rigdon  said  a  book  elucidating  such  theories 
would  pay,  especially  with  the  addition  of  the*  biblical 
language  of  the  Spaulding  manuscript  and  its  quaint  ro- 
mance. 

Either  there,  or  elsewhere,  he  pretended  to  be  in- 
terested in  the  great  revivals  that  were  common  at  the 
time  in  the  churches  of  the  different  religious  denomina- 
tions. In  1821  there  was  a  revival  in  the  Methodist, 


NEW    LIGHT   OX    MORMONISM.  33 

Baptist,  and  Presbyterian  churches  at  Palmyra,  and  some 
of  the  Smith  family  declared  they  were  "converted." 
The  mother,  three  of  the  brothers,  and  a  sister  joined  the 
Presbyterian  communion.  Joe  asserted  his  partiality  for 
the  Methodists,  but  ultimately  declared  he  could  not 
decide  which  was  right.  He  said  that  his  mind  was 
greatly  exercised  by  what  he  heard  first  in  one  church 
and  then  in  another,  and  that  he  gave  himself  up  to 
prayer  for  days,  "agonizing,"  that  the  truth  might  be 
made  known  to  him  among  all  the  conflicting  opinions  that 
he  heard  among  these  different'sects  ;  that  suddenly  his 
chamber  became  illuminated,  an  angel  appeared  and  con- 
versed with  him,  instructed  him  in  the  ways  of  righteous- 
ness, and  informed  him  there  was  no  true  Church  on 
earth. 

He  was  further  told  that  his  prayers  were  heard,  that 
he  was  "  dearly  beloved  of  the  Lord,  and  should  be  com- 
missioned a  priest  after  the  order  of  Melchisedec — or- 
ganizing a  church  of  faithful  persons  in  that  line  to  re- 
ceive the  Lord,  in  the  Millennium." 

In  a  second  visit  the  angel  informed  him  "  that  the 
truth  should  SPRING  OUT  OF  THE  EARTH  ;"  that  he  would  be 
led  to  the  Hill  Cummorah,  near  Palmyra,  and  receive 
from  out  of  the  ground  holy  and  prophetic  records  con- 
cerning a  family  of  Jews  that  emigrated  from  Jerusalem 
in  the  time  of  Zedekiah,  and  were  miraculously  led  across 
the  Eastern  Ocean. 

Beyond  question  his  mind  was  strangely  exercised  by 
the  popular  religious  movement  that  swept  through  the 
country  at  the  time,  and  his  naturally  imaginative  and 
superstitious  nature  was  briefly  impressed  by  the  elo- 
quence of  the  revivalists.  He  became  familiar  with 
scriptural  expression,  and  followed  the  inclination  of  those 
about  him  to  listen  to  any  new-fangled  doctrine. 


34  NEW    LIGHT   ON    MORMONISM. 

While  at  Harpersville,  Penn.,  in  1826,  he  married 
Emma,  the  daughter  of  Isaac  Hale,  a  well-to-do  farmer  of 
the  vicinity,  who  was  greatly  opposed  to  the  "  pecker," 
as  he  called  Joe  Smith,  who  was  making  himself  notori- 
ous by  his  strange  talk  on  religious  topics  and  his  pre- 
tensions to  be  able  to  work  miracles,  as  well  as  to  locate 
gold  and  silver.  Numerous  tricks  were  played  on  Smith 
by  the  unbelieving,  and  his  father-in-law  threatened  to 
shoot  him  if  he  returned  to  his  house  after  clandestinely 
marrying  his  daughter. 

The  Smith  family  weVe  still  very  poor  and  still  given 
to  disreputable  methods  for  a  living. 

In  1826  Joe  Smith  returned  to  Palmyra,  and  began  to 
act  his  role  in  bringing  before  the  public,  with  very 
great  caution,  the  well-contrived  Mormon  scheme  to 
delude  the  ignorant  and  superstitious.  At  dinner-time, 
one  day,  he  told  his  family  that  in  crossing  through  a 
grove  he  found  a  book  in  some  white  sand.  They  asked 
to  see  it,  appearing  to  believe  him  ;  but  he  said  that  the 
angel  who  told  him  of  its  locality  had  forbidden  him  to 
show  it  without  authority,  and  that  any  person  thus  look- 
ing on  it  would  surely  die. 

Having  a  certain  amount  of  magnetic  influence,  Smith 
gathered  a  few  dissolute  followers  about  him.  He  began 
to  talk  to  them  of  some  golden  plates  he  had  been 
directed  in  a  vision  to  dig  for  in  the  vicinity,  and  went 
about  with  them  to  "  locate"  the  treasure.  He  had  a. 
reputation  among  his  admirers  of  also  "  casting  out 
devils"  and  healing  the  sick. 

Mrs.  Smith,  Joe's  wife,  owned  a  six-acre  lot*  near 
the  hill  that  was  soon  to  become  famous,  four  miles  from 


*  This  was  probably  not  Joseph's  wife's  house,  but  the  house 
already  described,  now  belonging  to  Mr.  Seth  Chapman. 


NEW   LIGHT   ON   MOKMONISM.  35 

Palmyra,  on  which  there  was  a  small  log  house,  partly 
finished,  having  a  stove-pipe  running  through  the  roof  to 
answer  for  a  chimney.  This  hill  is  at  present  known  as 
"  Gold  Bible  Hill."  It  is  conical  in  shape,  smooth  and 
green  to  the  very  top,  from  which  there  is  a  picturesque 
view  of  hills  and  dales  in  all  directions.  From  its  pecu- 
liar form  and  isolation  it  is  somewhat  suggestive  of  an 
extinct  volcano.  It  is  owned  by  William  T.  Sampson, 
Commander  in  the  United  States  Navy.  In  1826  Joe 
and  his  wife  were  established  in  the  primitive  log  house, 
which  was  visited  by  Sidney  Rigdon,  who  spent  three  or 
four  months  there  ;  and  a  number  of  other  men  came, 
and,  after  lingering  a  wrhile,  left  with  an  air  of  mystery. 

The  neighbors  became  suspicious,  and  thought  a  band 
of  counterfeiters  were  at  work  under  Smith's  direc- 
tion ;  while  he  talked  of  wonders  about  to  be  performed 
"at  the  hill."  There  is  a  tradition  that  the  boys  of 
the  vicinity  believed  a  giant  would  come  out  of  the  hill 
and  crush  Palmyra  and  all  those  who  ridiculed  the  talk 
of  Joe  Smith  and  his  revelations.  To  his  adherents 
Smith  said  he  had  been  shown  the  box  in  which  "  the 
golden  plates"  were  concealed,  and  had  tried  many  times 
to  open  it,  but  was  struck  back  by  an  invisible  blow 
coming  from  Satan,  who  had  been  at  his  elbow,  and  ac- 
cused him  of  avarice  and  ambition,  and  that  he  was 
obliged  to  repent  and  humiliate  himself  for  that  great 
event.  He  said  that  angels  visited  him  frequently,  and 
while  he  boldly  confessed  himself  a  great  sinner,  and 
owned  that  he  had  led  an  unworthy  life,  "  the  Lord  had 
chosen  him  and  forgiven  all  his  sins  ;  and  for  His  own 
inscrutable  purpose  made  him,  weak  and  erring  as  he 
might  have  been,  the  instrument  of  His  glory." 

His  interviews  with  the  angel  "  Maroni"  were  fre- 
quent. One  of  these  interviews  lasted  all  night,  and  at 


36  NEW   LIGHT   ON   MOKMONIS3I. 

daybreak,  in  going  home,  lie  was  so  exhausted  that,  in 
attempting  to  climb  a  fence  he  fell  over  it,  and  for  a 
long  time  was  unconscious.  He  beheld  the  angel  stand- 
ing over  him  when  his  senses  returned,  and  he  was 
directed  to  tell  his  father  all  that  had  been  communi- 
cated, and  his  father  said,  "  Follow  the  angel's  direc- 
tion, as  he  is  a  messenger  from  God." 

Smith  related  that,  after  hearing  a  sermon  from  the 
text,  "  If  any  of  you  lack  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God 
that  giveth  unto  all  men  and  upbraideth  none,  and  it 
shall  be  given  him  ;"  that  he  went  into  the  woods,  knelt 
down  and  began  to  pray.  A  thick  darkness  covered 
him,  and  he  thought  he  was  about  to  be  destroyed  ;  but 
suddenly  a  pillar  of  light  arose  just  over  his  head,  and  he 
saw  two  personages  bright  and  full  of  glory  beyond 
description.  One  of  them  called  him  by  name  .and, 
pointing  to  the  other,  said,  "  This  is  my  beloved  son." 

His  neighbors  have  testified  that  he  made  contradictory 
statements  as  to  the  locality  where  "  the  golden  plates" 
were  to  be  found  ;  but  at  last,  on  the  night  of  Septem- 
ber 22,  1827,  amid  thunder  and  lightning  and  a  grand 
display  of  celestial  pyrotechnics,  while  Smith  and  the 
chosen  were  fervently  praying,  an  angel  came  out  of  a 
chasm  in  Cummorah  Hill,  opened  for  this  particular  oc- 
casion, and  delivered  a  box  to  Smith's  care,  who  said  he 
saw  legions  of  devils  straggling  with  the  angel,  to  keep 
back  the  prize.  The  name  of  the  angel  who  delivered 
the  box  was  Moroni,  and  he  informed  Smith  that  the 
fate  of  the  early  inhabitants  of  America  was  written  on 
golden  tablets  within  the  box,  which  could  only  be  read 
by  the  aid  of  some  wonderful  stone  spectacles  called 
"  Urim  and  Thummim"  delivered  with  the  plates. 

Smith's  story  of  his  first  view  of  the  plates,  several 
years  previous,  is  that,  following  the  direction  of  the 


NEW   LIGHT  ON"   MORMONISM.  37 

angel,  he  went  to  the  Hill  Cummorah  and  on  the  west 
side,  near  the  top,  he  found  a  box,  that  was  only  partly 
concealed  by  loose  bits  of  rock  and  earth.  He  removed 
the  obstructions  with  a  lever.  The  box  was  made  of 
stones  held  together  with  cement.  On  partly  opening 
it  he  saw  the  plates  and  the  Urim  and  Tkwnwwm,.* 

He  attempted  to  take  them  out,  and  was  forbidden 
by  the  "Yoice,"  and  told  that  four  years  from  that 
time  was  the  period  fixed  to  receive  them  ;  but  he  must 
visit  the  place  each  year,  on  the  anniversary  of  that  oc- 
casion. He  followed  this  advice,  and  the  angel  met  him, 
giving  him  instructions  touching  "  the  Lord's  purpose  in 
the  last  days,  and  in  what  manner  His  kingdom  was  to 
be  constituted." 

This  precious  box  was  carried  to  Smith's  cabin.  He 
opened  it  in  secret,  but  said  it  contained  not  only  the  six 
golden  tablets  eighteen  inches  square,  held  together  by 
rings  at  the  back,  and  the  stone  spectacles,  but  the  sword 
of  Laban  and  a  "  breastplate,"  which  had  been  brought 
from  Jerusalem. 

The  tablets,  he  announced,  were  covered  with  hiero- 
glyphics, which  he  alone  had  the  power  to  read  with  the 
spectacles  ;  and  a  little  low  chamber  of  his  house  was 
made  a  translating  room,  Smith  standing  in  one  corner 
behind  a  blanket  which  screened  him  from  the  curiosity 
of  his  scribe,  Oliver  Cowdrey,  who  had  been  a  school- 
master, and  Keuben  Hale,  his  brother-in-law,  an  admirer 
of  the  "  Peeker."  Smith  said  the  inscriptions  were  in  a 
new  language,  which  he  called  "reformed  Egyptian." 
While  the  translation  was  going  on,  he  came  to  a  part  of 
the  narrative  that  informed  him  that  baptism  by  immer- 

*  Urim  and  Thummim  mean  "light"  and  "perfection,"  or  the 
"  shining  and  the  perfect,"  according  to  an  accepted  Biblical  lexi- 
cograph. 


38  NEW    LIGHT   ON   MO11MOXISM. 

sion  for  the  remission  of  sins  had  been  taught  and  com- 
manded by  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  America,  and, 
anxious  to  learn  his  "  privileges,"  the  translator,  with 
Cowdrey,  retired  to  the  woods  "  to  inquire  further  of  the 
Lord." 

While  they  were  praying  John  the  Baptist  appeared 
in  a  "cloud  of  light,"  and,  laying  his  hands  on  them, 
ordained  them.  The  neighbors  heard  Smith  was  writing 
a  book  which  he  called  at  the  time  "  The  Gold  Bible," 
this  idea  being  suggested  by  the  report  that  a  gold  Bible 
had  about  this  time  been  dug  up  somewhere  in  Canada. 

As  the  work  progressed  the  people  sometimes  called 
to  see  how  it  was  getting  along,  and  they  were  allowed 
to  feel  the  manuscript  as  it  reposed  in  a  pillow-case,  but 
no  one  was  allowed  to  see  it. 

The  translating  process,  it  was  reported,  was  simple, 
as  a  copy  of  the  hieroglyphics  was  taken  down  from  the 
plates,  and  then  Smith  dictated  to  those  who  copied  on 
paper. 

So  much  was  said  at  Palmyra  of  the  golden  plates, 
that  certain  persons  contrived  a  plan  to  capture  them, 
and  a  writ  for  debt  was  served  on  Smith  as  a  pretence. 
To  avoid  this,  he  placed  the  plates,  long  before  prepared 
by  himself  and  Rigdon,  when  they  met  in  Pennsylvania, 
in  a  bag  of  beans,  and  tried  to  escape,  but  was  overtaken 
and  searched  by  the  sheriff,  who  was  not  bright  enough 
to  look  in  the  bean  bag.  "  If  he  had  looked"  (says  the 
narrator  of  this  incident),  "  he  would  doubtless  have 
found  not  only  the  plates,  but  a  copy  of  Spaulding's 
manuscript." 

After  this  failure  of  Smith's  enemies  to  capture  the 
golden  plates,  he  and  Cowdrey  returned  to  their  work, 
which  was  slowly  accomplished.  Meanwhile  Smith  added 
to  his  reputation  by  his  first  great  miracle,  performed  on 


NEW  LIGHT  ON   MORMONISM.  39 

one  Newell  Knight,  who  was  besieged  by  devils,  his  limbs 
and  visage  being  distorted  by  pain.  Smith  commanded 
the  evil  spirits  to  leave  him  in  the  name  of  Christ,  and 
Knight  said,  "  I  see  them  going  right  through  the  roof." 

This  established  the  fact,  in  the  minds  of  certain  peo- 
ple, that  Smith  had  indeed  a  divine  mission  to  perform, 
and  that  lie  had,  as  he  affirmed,  visits  from  angels  and 
communications  with  them.  But  he  was  very  poor,  and 
so  was  Rigdon,  or  the  world  would  have  been  stirred 
with  Mormonism  sooner. 

Martin  Harris,  a  farmer  of  the  vicinity,  a  man  of  some 
considerable  means,  became  acquainted  with  Smith,  and 
being  told  by  him  that  the  Lord  commanded  him  to  as- 
sist in  bringing  out  the  book,  yielded,  as  he  afterward 
acknowledged,  in  the  hope  of  making  money.  He  made 
trouble  afterward  by  telling  what  he  had  heard  of  the 
Spaulding  manuscript  in  connection  with  Mormonism, 
and,  on  that  account,  was  denied  certain  honors  which 
he  coveted. 

In  1828  (as  Abigail  Harris,  the  sister-in-law  of  Martin 
Harris,  testified  in  1833),  while  Martin  and  his  wife  Lucy 
were  at  her  house  on  a  visit,  during  a  conversation  about 
the  new  faith's  being  devised  by  Smith,  Lucy  said  it 
was  "  all  a  delusion  ;"  to  which  her  husband  answered, 
"What  if  it  is  all  a  lie  ?  Let  me  alone,  and  I'll  make 
some  money  out  of  it." 

The  translation  was  suspended  ten  months  by  the 
abstraction  of  several  sheets  by  Mrs.  Harris,  who  could 
not  be  induced,  by  threat  or  cajolement,  to  give  them  up. 
In  this  way  one  hundred  and  sixteen  pages  of  Smith's 
and  Rigdon's  work  were  lost,  and  the  problem  was  how 
to  replace  them.  Smith  said  he  was  denied  the  gift  of 
translation,  and  eighteen  months'  labor  was  thus  lost. 
Joseph  had  a  "  revelation. "  He  was  told  that  Satan  had 


40  NEW   LIGHT  ON   MORMONISM. 

inspired  Harris  and  liis  wife  to  get  possession  of  the 
manuscript. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harris  separated,  and  divided  their 
property,  on  her  refusal  to  join  the  Mormons.  She  re- 
mained at  Palmyra  until  her  death  ;  he  followed  Smith, 
and,  after  various  misfortunes,  died  in  want. 

Professor  Anthon,  in  a  letter  dated  New  York,  Feb- 
ruary 17,  1834,  relates  that  a  paper  presented  to  him  as  a 
transcript  of  the  characters  "  on  the  golden  plates"  was, 
in  fact,  a  singular  scroll,  having  crooked  characters  in 
columns,  which  had  evidently  been  arranged  by  some 
person  who  had  before  him  at  the  time  a  book  containing 
various  alphabets,  Greek,  Hebrew,  and  Roman  letter.s 
being  inverted  or  placed  sideways  and  placed  in  perpen- 
dicular columns.  The  whole  ended  in  a  rude  delineation 
of  a  circle  divided  into  various  compartments,  decked 
with  strange  marks  copied  "  after  the  Mexican  calendar 
given  by  Humboldt."  During  the  period  between  Sep- 
tember, 1829,  and  March  of  1830,  the  "  Book  of  Mor- 
mon" was  published  in  the  third  story  of  a  building  in 
the  main  street  of  Palmyra,  now  known  as  Exchange 
Row. 

Martin  Harris  contributed  $3000  for  this  purpose. 
The  foreman  in  the  office  at  the  time  was  Mr.  Pomeroy 
Tucker,  who  has  since  written  an  interesting  work  on 
Mormonism.  Major  J.  II.  Gilbert  (who  is  still  living, 
and  has  contributed  a  valuable  paper,  ~No.  10,  to  be  found 
in  the  Appendix)  was  a  compositor  in  this  office  at  the 
same  time.  This  was  at  the  printing  establishment  of 
E.  B.  Graudin,  editor  of  the  Wayne  Sentinel. 

Mr.  Thurlow  Weed,  then  editor  of  the  Anti-Masonic 
Inquirer  in  Rochester,  had  already  refused  to  do  Smith's 
printing  in  1829.  The  "  copy"  was  on  ruled  paper  and 
in  Cowdrey's  handwriting.  Hyrum  Smith  brought  it  to 


NEW    LIGHT   ON    MORMONISM.  41 

the  printing-office,  producing  it  from  a  tightly  buttoned 
overcoat.  One  day's  supply  was  given  at  a  time. 

One  David  Whitmer  of  Richmond,  Mo.,  it  is  said,  has 
this  manuscript  copy.  He  is  the  sole  survivor  of  the 
original  "three  witnesses,"  as  they  were  called,  who 
testified  to  the  genuineness  of  the  "  Book  of  Mormon," 
and  he  may,  it  is  believed,  awaken  "the  saints"  some 
time  by  publishing  a  fac-simile  edition  of  the  original 
-translation. 

Major  Gilbert,  mentioned  above  (as  will  be  seen  in 
the  Appendix  No.  9),  has  an  unbound  copy  of  the 
"  Book  of  Mormon,"  which  he  kept,  sheet  by  sheet,  as  it 
came  from  the  press.  The  venerable  owner  and  printer 
relates  how  the  manuscript  was  brought  to  him  little  by 
little,  badly  spelled,  grammatically  imperfect,  and  with- 
out punctuation.  He  asked  to  be  allowed  to  alter  it. 
At  first,  he  says,  Smith  was  unwilling,  but  afterward  per- 
mitted him  to  correct  the  proof,  in  the  evening,  as  fast 
as  it  was  printed,  to  facilitate  its  completion.  Jn  these 
corrections  of  proof  Major  Gilbert  used  some  private 
marks,  which  he  made  with  a  blue  pencil,  which  he  says 
he  could  recognize  at  a  glance. 

The  book  was  sold  at  first  for  $1.50  a  copy,  and  soon 
the  Smiths  had  money  enough  to  buy  a  horse  and  other 
luxuries.  Before  Harris  responded  to  Smith's  proposal 
to  raise  funds  to  publish  his  "  translation,"  two  or  three 
printing-houses  in  other  towns  had  been  visited  for  such 
purpose  by  Smith  or  his  agents. 

Mr.  Thurlow  Weed  has  testified  to  this  circumstance, 
but  said  later  that  he  was  mistaken  as  to  the  year  1825  ; 
that  it  must  have  been  two  or  three  years  later. 

The  publication  of  the  book  created  an  intense  excite- 
ment in  central  and  western  New  York.  Certain  ques- 
tions of  a  religious  nature  were  being  agitated  at  the 


42  NEW   LIGHT   ON   MOKMONISM. 

time,  and  the  public  mind  was  prepared  for  a  new  re- 
ligious sensation,  Smith's  father  and  three  brothers 
were  his  first  converts.  The  first  edition  of  the  "  Book 
of  Mormon"  was  of  several  hundred  pages,  with  an  ap- 
pendix, in  which  there  was  a  statement  signed  by  ' '  three 
witnesses" — Oliver  Cowdrey,  David  Whitmer  and  Mar- 
tin Harris — who  were  at  the  time  professed  believers,  and 
said,  "  We  declare  with  words  of  soberness  that  an  angel 
of  God  came  down  from  heaven,  and  he  brought  and  laid 
down  before  our  eyes,  that  we  beheld  and  saw,  the 
plates  and  the  engravings  thereon."  Several  years  after 
these  "  three  witnesses"  quarrelled  with  Smith,  re- 
nounced Mormonism,  and  avowed  the  falsity  of  the 
above  statement. 

Soon  after  the  book  appeared,  the  church  was  organized 
at  the  house  of  Peter  Whitmer  in  Fayette,  Seneca  Co., 
N".  Y.,  with  six  members — Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  Oliver 
Cowdrey,  Hyrum  Smith,  Peter  Whitmer,  Jr.,  Samuel 
H.  Smith,  and  David  Whitmer. 

Immediately  the  Holy  Ghost  fell  on  Cowdrey,  and  he 
"  prophesied,"  and  Smith  "stood  up  and  prophesied." 

They  had  a  happy  time  together,  but,  owing  to  the 
"  unbelievers"  about  them,  kept  their  baptism,  ordina- 
tion, and  rejoicings  a,  secret  for  a  time. 

These  members  were  called  "  ciders,"  Cowdrey  bap- 
tizing Joseph  Smith,  and  Smith  baptizing  the  rest.  They 
said  it  was  eighteen  hundred  years  to  a  day  since  the  res- 
urrection of  Christ.  They  professed  to  believe  it  was  the 
"  Church  of  Christ"  once  more  restored  to  the  earth, 
holding  the  keys  of  authority,  and  power  to  bind,  and 
loose,  and  to  seal,  on  earth  and  in  heaven. 

The  following  Sunday  Cowdrey  preached  his  first 
sermon  on  this  "dispensation,"  and  "the  principles  of 
the  gospel  as  revealed  to  Joseph. ' '  Mrs.  Joe  Smith  was 


NEW   LIGHT   0$   MORMONISM.  43 

baptized,  and  given  the  new  name  of  "  Electra  Cyria," 
or  "  Daughter  of  God." 

The  following  June  (1830)  the  first  Mormon  confer- 
ence was  held  at  Fayette,  and  there  were  thirty  pro- 
fessed Mormons  present,  showing  that  converts  to  the 
new  faith  were  not  rapidly  made  ;  but  "  the  gifts"  began 
to  mainfest  themselves.  Smith  was  heard  to  say  about 
this  time,  that  he  had  "  got  everything  ready  to  fix  the 
fools." 

The  religious  teachings  of  the  "  Book  of  Mormon"  show 
the  influence  of  the  doctrinal  questions  that  were  being 
agitated  in  central  New  York  in  1830 — Calvinism,  Uni- 
versalism,  Methodism,  Millerism,  Romanism  and  other 
forms  of  belief.  Smith  and  Rigdon  v/ere  inclined  to  be 
Millerites.  They  had  at  first  vague  ideas  of  the  church 
they  were  about  to  establish.  Millerism  was  attracting 
great  attention  at  the  time,  so  they  settled  on  that  doc- 
trine, and  that  the  Millennium  was  close  at  hand  ;  that 
the  Indians  were  to  be  converted  ;  and  that  America  was 
to  be  the  final  gathering-place  of  the  saints, who  were  to 
assemble  at  the  New  Jerusalem,  somewhere  in  the  in- 
terior of  the  Continent.  With  the  "  Book  of  Mormon" 
as  their  text,  they  began  to  exhort. 

Sidney  Rigdon  preached  the  first  Mormon  sermon  in 
what  is  at  present  the  Hall  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  at  Palmyra,  taking  a  text  from  "  the  first 
Book  of  Nephi" — part  of  the  "Book  of  Mormon" — 
liAnd  the  angel  spake  unto  me,  saying,  These  last  records 
which  thou  hast  seen  among  the  Gentiles  shall  establish 
the  truth  of  the  first,  which  is  of  the  twelve  Apostles  of 
the  Lamb  •  and  shall  make  known  the  plain  and  precious 
things  which  have  been  taken  aioay  from  them,  and  shall 
make  known  to  all  kindreds,  tongues,  and  peoples  that  the 
Lamb  of  God  is  the  eternal  father  and  Saviour  of  the 


44  NEW   LIGHT   ON   HORMONISM. 

world,  and  thai  all  men  must  come  to  Him,  or  they  can- 
not be  saved"  The  preacher  ventured  to  try  to  establish 
the  theory  that  the  Bible  and  the  ' '  Book  of  Mormon' ' 
are  one  in  importance  and  inspiration.  He  said  that  he 
was  "  God's  Messenger,"  to  proclaim  this  truth,  etc. 

This  sermon  made  so  much  disturbance,  that  no  ' '  reg- 
ular preaching"  was  afterward  attempted  by  the  Mor- 
mons in  the  immediate  vicinity. 

In  June  (1831)  two  elders  were  sent  West  to  preach 
and  found  churches,  wherever  people  would  listen  to 
them.  They  made  numerous  converts.  Rigdon  was 
already  preparing  the  way,  to  tell  of  the  new  revelation 
in  the  vicinity  of  Mentor,  Ohio.  Palmyra  being  con- 
tiguous to  Hartwick  and  Onondaga  Valley,  where  the 
Spaulding  manuscript  was  familiar  to  many  people,  the 
similarity  of  the  two  was  discussed.  Smith  had  a  "  rev- 
elation" that  Palmyra  was  not  a  place  for  the  "  Saints" 
to  prosper  in,  or  be  recognized,  and  he  talked  vaguely  of 
the  New  Jerusalem  in  the  West,  and  announced  that  it 
was  time  for  the  faithful  to  remove  with  him  to  Kirt- 
land,  Ohio,  that  locality  having  been  agreed  upon  between 
himself  and  Rigdon  ;  and  so  the  Mormons  made  "  The 
First  Hegira"  in  their  tragical  pilgrimage  to  the  West — 
a  tedious  journey  in  1832 — as  they  moved  onward  in 
wagons,  carrying  their  household  goods  with  them. 
Smith  was  already  called  a  "  prophet."  His  family 
followed  him. 

On  this  journey  to  Ohio  a  sister  of  Joseph  was  de- 
livered of  a  lifeless  female  child,  which,  before  its  birth, 
it  had  been  foretold  would  astonish  the  Gentile  world  as 
a  second  advent  of  a  "  triune  humanity."  The  mother 
was  unmarried,  and  the  birth  of  the  babe  was  to  be 
miraculous  ;  but  it  became  pretty  well  understood  that 
Tvitrdon  was  its  father. 


:STEW    LIGHT   ON"    MOKMONISM.  45 

Tn  the  year  of  the  first  Hegira,  1831,  the  "  work"  had 
extended  over  several  of  the  States,  and  a  large  number 
of  converts  had  been  made  by  the  captivating  and  fiery 
eloquence  of  Cowdrey,  Iligdon,  Orley  P.  Pratt,  and 
others  ;  the  more  intelligent  and  the  better  educated  in 
the  cause  had  been  sent  out  for  that  purpose. 

These  missionaries  had  no  compensation,  and  this  was 
one  secret  of  their  successful  preachings.  They  braved 
every  danger,  "  faced  a  frowning  world,"  rejoiced  in 
tribulation,  blessed  the  saints,  cursed  their  enemies,  and 
sang  and  shouted  Glory  Hallelujah  ! 

There  had  been  as  yet  no  whisper  of  polygamy.  The 
Mormons  were  generally  hated,  but  increased  with  aston- 
ishing rapidity  after  the  year  1830. 

They  were  a  community  which  had  all  goods  in  com- 
mon, and  this  fact  threw  a  fascination  over  the  new  faith 
to  thousands  of  uneducated  and  illiterate  people.  They 
heard  scriptural  expressions  used  by  the  leaders,  and  had 
but  a  vague  idea  of  what  it  was  they  professed  ;  there 
was  a  novelty  about  the  movement  that  captivated  them, 
and  they  were  willing  to  be-  led  on  by  insinuating  men. 

In  the  year  1832  Smith  professed  to  have  had  seventy- 
five  "  visions"  or  "  revelations."  As  the  analysis  of  the 
"  Book  of  Mormon"  will  show,  it  is  merely  a  narrative  of 
a  people  who  in  an  early  age  inhabited  America,  its  whole 
construction  being  Hebraic,  and  a  servile  copy  of  that  of 
the  Spaulding  manuscript.  There  was  no  instruction  in 
it  for  the  conduct  of  the  "  Latter-Day  Saints."  At  first 
neither  Smith  nor  lligdon,  nor  their  immediate  followers, 
knew  what  spiritual  commands  they  required.  But  as 
events  developed  their  needs,  the  angel  Moroni,  the  same 
who  delivered  the  golden  plates,  appeared  to  Smith  from 
time  to  time,  until  he  was  killed  at  Nauvoo  in  1846. 

It  is  a  remarkable  coincidence  that  the  "  Book  of  Mor- 


46  NEW   LIGHT   OK    MORMONISM. 

mon"  was  printed  fourteen  years  after  "  The  Manuscript 
Found"  was  written  by  Solomon  Spauldingat  Conneaut, 
and  it  was  fourteen  years  from  the  time  the  Mormons 
left  Palmyra  for  "  Sheinaiy '  as  they  called  Kirtland,  to 
the  time  of  Smith's  death. 

Some  of  the  people  who  remember  Smith  at  Palmyra 
have  described  him  as  given  to  strong  drink,  and  to  have 
been  "thoroughly  disreputable."  Mr.  Thurlow  Weed 
remembers  his  personal  appearance  in  1830,  and  says  : 
"  He  was  tall  and  awkward  in  his  manner,  showed  his 
low  origin,  and  was  impudent  and  bold."  At  one  time 
Smith  affirmed  that  he  was  as  good  as  "  Jesus  Christ," 
and  he  was  given  to  showing  his  abundant  self-esteem 
and  egotism  on  all  occasions. 

Of  the  many  reminiscences  of  the  Mormons  in  Palmyra, 
is  that  of  the  trick  that  Stephen  H.  Harding,  since  Gov- 
ernor of  Utah,  when  a  mischievous  lad,  played  on  one 
Calvin  Stoddard,  who  was  a  convert  of  Joseph's,  and  felt 
he  "had  a  call"  to  preach  the  new  faith.  One  dark, 
stormy  night  Harding  rapped  thrice  on  Stoddard's  door- 
step, and  cried  in  a  deep,  sepulchral  voice  :  ' '  Calvin  Stod- 
dard, the  angel  of  the  Lord  commands  that  before  another 
going  down  of  the  sun  thou  shalt  go  forth  among  the 
people  and  preach  the  gospel  of  Nephi,  or  thy  wife  shalt 
be  a  widow  and  thy  children  orphans,  and  thy  dust  shalt 
be  cast  to  the  four  winds  of  heaven. ' ' 

Stoddard  no  longer  hesitated  as  to  his  duty,  but  joined 
"  the  new  faith,"  so  ridiculed  at  the  time,  but  which  has 
since  become  such  a  mischievous  power. 


CHAPTER  IY. 

Sketch  of  Sidney  Rigdon— Interview  with  General  and  Mrs.  Garfield 
at  Mentor,  Ohio — Description  of  the  Mormon  Temple  at  Kirtland.  — 
Interview  with  General  and  Mrs.  Garfield  at  Mentor  in  1880,  con- 
cerning the  Mormons. — Description  of  the  Mormon  Temple  at  Kirt- 
land, Ohio. 

SIDNEY  RIGDON  was  born  in  Alleghany  Co.,  Penn. 
He  Lad  a  fair  English  education,  as  well  as  a  knowledge 
of  Latin,  Greek,  and  Hebrew.  At  an  early  age  lie  was  a 
printer  by  trade,  and  is  known  to  have  been  in  Con- 
neaut,  Ohio,  at  the  time  Spaulding  read  his  "  Mann- 
script  Found"  to  his  neighbors.  Major  Gilbert  is  of  the 
opinion  that  Rigdon  took  notes  on  such  occasions  for 
after  use. 

Everybody  who  saw  this  intelligent,  well-educated, 
and  erratic  young  printer,  then  and  later  in  life,  was 
impressed  with  his  unusual  ability  and  capacity  for 
trickery  ;  and  it  is  easy  to  believe  the  report  that  lie 
followed  or  preceded  Spaulding  to  Pittsburg,  knowing 
all  his  plans,  in  order  to  obtain  his  manuscript,  or  to 
copy  it,  while  it  was  in  Patterson's  printing-lion se — an 
easy  thing  to  do,  as  the  fact  of  the  manuscript  being  left 
carelessly  in  the  office  for  months  is  not  questioned. 

Mr.  Spaulding  (as  already  stated)  told  his  wife  and 
intimates  in  the  last  years  of  his  life  that  a  young 
printer  in  Patterson's  office,  named  Rigdon,  had  copied 
his  manuscript  while  it  was  there  ;  but  he  never  said  that 
he  stole  the  original  copy.  Spaulding  died  in  1816.  In 
1817  or  1818  Rigdon,  when  about  twenty-three  or  twenty- 


48  NEW   LIGHT   Otf   MOKMONISM. 

four  years  of  age,  became  an  orthodox  preacher,  but  soon 
gave  utterance  to  strange  doctrines,  which  were  recog- 
nized later  as  derived  from  Spaulding's  manuscript.  He 
wandered  about  through  the  interior  and  northern  part 
of  Pennsylvania,  preaching  here  and  there,  as  opportunity 
afforded,  and  then  abandoned  the  practice,  as  he  said  "  to 
study  the  Bible. " 

In  this  interval  he  met  Joseph  Smith,  as  it  is  believed, 
through  the  ubiquitous  tin  peddler,  Orley  B.  Pratt.  For 
two  years  he  dogged  the  footsteps  of  Smith,  was  fre- 
quently in  Palmyra  and  its  vicinity,  and  was  the  master 
mind  in  the  preparations  for  this  "  Peeker"  and  money- 
digger  in  the  discovery  of  the  golden  plates  in  Cummorah 
Hill. 

While  these  preparations  were  being  slowly  made, 
through  lack  of  funds,  Rigdon  became  a  Campbellite 
preacher  at  Mentor,  Ohio. 

Mr.  F.  Rudolph,  father  of  Mrs.  Garfield  (see  Appen- 
dix No.  11),  knew  Sidney  Rigdon  very  well,  and  from 
him  the  statement  comes  that  "  during  the  winter  pre- 
vious to  the  appearance  of  the  '  Book  of  Mormon  ' 
Rigdon  was  in  the  habit  of  spending  weeks  away  from 
his  home,  going  no  one  knew  where,  and  that  he  often 
appeared  very  preoccupied,  and  would  indulge  in  dreamy, 
imaginative  talk,  which  puzzled  those  who  listened." 
"When  the  "  Book  of  Mormon"  appeared,  and  Rigdon 
joined  in  the  advocacy  of  the  new  religion,  the  suspicion 
was  at  once  aroused  that  he  was  one  of  the  framers  of 
the  new  doctrines,  and  probably  was  not  ignorant  of  the 
authorship  of  the  "  Book  of  Mormon." 

Rigdon  was  versatile  in  his  gifts,  had  a  keen  wit,  was 
shrewd,  given  to  discussion  on  theological  and  scientific 
topics,  and  was  considered  wily  and  unprincipled. 

The  followers  of  this  remarkable  man  were  now  being 


NEW   LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM.  49 

prepared  for  some  new  ism,  and  his  preaching  was  talked 
of  far  and  near. 

Of  course  the  excitement  concerning  Joe  Smith  and 
his  new  Mormon  doctrines  at  Palmyra,  and  through  cen- 
tral and  western  New  York,  spread  into  northern  Ohio  ; 
and  when  "  The  First  Hegira"  took  place,  in  1832,  and 
the  Mormons  were  at  Conneaut,  Itigdon  was  prepared  to 
meet  them  and  to  affect  to  be  converted  to  the  new  faith. 

Near  his  residence  in  Kirtland  there  had  been  for 
some  time  previous  a  few  families  belonging  to  his  con- 
gregation who  had  formed  themselves  into  a  community 
or  common-stock  society  ;  they  had  become  fanatical,  and 
were  daily  looking  for  some  wonderful  event  to  take 
place  in  the  world.  They  were  prepared  to  embrace  Mor- 
monisin,  or  any  other  ism.  Seventeen  of  these  people  be- 
lieved the  whole  story  which  was  related  to  them  of  the 
finding  of  the  plates,  and  were  all  baptized  in  one  night. 

At  this  time  Iligdon  said  he  had  never  been  satisfied 
in  his  religious  yearnings,  and  that  at  night  he  had  often 
been  unable  to  sleep,  walking  and  praying  for  more  light 
and  comfort  in  his  religion.  But  while  in  the  midst  of 
this  agony  he  heard  of  the  revelations  to  Joe  Smith, 
and  his  soul  suddenly  found  peace,  as  they  filled  all  his 
aspirations.  In  1831  the  Mormons  settled  at  Kirtland, 
Lake  Co.,  three  miles  from  Mentor,  and  here  Rigdon 
joined  them.  He  had  no  property  to  offer  them,  but 
from  this  time  openly  advocated  their  doctrines,  preach- 
ing to  crowds  of  people  who  gathered  to  hear  his  eloquent 
discourse,  and  over  whom  he  seemed  to  have  a  wonderful 
power,  and  such  influence  that  it  is  felt  to  the  present  day 
in  that  vicinity.  A  Presbyterian  clergyman  of  Paines- 
ville,  Ohio,  informed  the  writer  in  November,  1880,  that 
all  the  northern  part  of  the  State  is  permeated  with  the 
doctrines  of  the  early  Mormons.  A  graphic  account  of 


50  NEW   LIGHT   ON"   MOBMONISM. 

Rigdon's  power  as  an  advocate  of  his  new  faith  has  been 
made  by  Judge  John  Barr,  of  Cuyahoga  Co.,  Ohio. 

In  1830,  while  Rigdon  and  Cowdrey  were  preparing 
the  way  for  Mormonisrn,  he  was  at  Mayfield,  not  far  from 
Kirtland,  and  one  Sunday  morning  went  to  hear  Rigdon 
and  Cowdrey  on  the  revelations  of  Mormonism.  The 
roads  were  crowded  with  people  going  in  the  same  di- 
rection. The  services  were  held  in  a  church.  Cowdrey, 
a  veiy  eloquent  man,  opened  with  prayer,  and  gave  an 
account  of  the  finding  of  the  golden  plates  of  Isephi. 
Rigdon  followed  with  an  account  of  his  own  conversion. 
He  was  seemingly  very  much  affected  ;  was  listened  to 
with  rapt  attention  ;  and  at  the  close  of  his  harangue  very 
earnestly  inquired  if  any  one  desired  to  come  forward  to 
be  baptized.  Only  one  man,  a  disreputable  old  fellow, 
named  Cahoon,  who  had  been  some  time  a  member  of  a 
Shaker  community  in  the  vicinity,  and  had  lived  on 
public  charity  in  general,  came  forward  for  immersion. 

This  was  afterward  performed  in  a  clear  pool  of  the 
Chagrin  River,  near  a  bridge,  at  two  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon of  the  same  day,  a  great  number  of  people  gather- 
ing to  witness  the  ceremony.  Rigdon  stood  in  the  pool, 
which  was  shallow,  and  after  a  suitable  address  and 
prayer  Cahoon  carne  forward  and  was  duly  immersed. 

Rigdon  then,  while  still  standing  in  the  water,  made 
a  wonderfully  eloquent  exhortation.  The  crowd  became 
greatly  affected,  and  he  asked  converts  to  come  and  be 
baptized  in  the  new  faith,  thirty  accepting  the  invita- 
tion, while  the  preacher  continued  his  discourse.  While 
this  exciting  scene  was  transpiring,  Judge  Barr  says  the 
faces  of  the  crowd  expressed  the  most  intense  emotion. 
Mr.  Card,  afterward  prosecuting  attorney  of  Cuyahoga 
County,  was  with  him,  and  was  so  affected  by  Rigdon's 
talk  that  he  begged  his  friend  to  lead  him  away.  "  He 


NEW   LIGHT   ON  MORMONISJI.  51 

was  so  pale,"  says  Judge  Barr,  "  I  thought  he  would  faint, 
although  naturally  a  stoical  man  ;  and  after  we  were  a 
mile  away  on  our  return,  during  which  time  we  had  not 
exchanged  a  word,  he  said,  '  If  you  had  not  been  there, 
I  should  have  gone  into  the  water  ;  the  impulse  was  ir- 
resistible.' ' 

Rigdon  often  swooned,  really  or  in  affectation,  which 
added  to  the  impression  he  made  on  an  easily  excited 
multitude.  When  the  Mormons  went  to  Kirtland  Rig- 
don  said  it  was  "  the  border"  of  the  inheritance  of  the 
Saints,  which  extended  to  the  Pacific." 

One  thousand  Mormons,  the  converts  of  Rigdon  and 
Pratt,  greeted  Smith  on  his  arrival  at  Kirtland.  People 
from  every  part  of  "  the  lake  region"  flocked  there, 
"  ecstatics,"  men  and  women,  falling  to  the  floor  groan- 
ing, and  weeping,  and  pointing  toward  the  heavens,  to 
the  "  cloud  of  witnesses"  they  saw,  uttering  strange 
words,  sometimes  rushing  out  of  doors  and  running  to 
the  fields  to  mount  stumps,  whence  they  gesticulated 
wildly,  or  to  pick  up  stories  on  which  a  message  was 
written,  which  disappeared  as  soon  as  it  was  deciphered. 

Some  writer  has  said  that  "  Rigdon's  ardor  at  this  time 
was  equal  to  Smith's  genius." 

This  "outpouring  of  the  spirit"  did  not  please  the 
prophet,  so  he  ordered  moderation,  and  said  these  mani- 
festations were  not  the  work  of  the  spirit,  and  cautioned 
the  faithful  to  beware.  In  1832  Brigham  Young,  a 
native  of  Vermont,  joined  the  Mormons  at  Kirtland,  and 
was  ordained  an  elder. 

At  a  conference  of  elders,  on  May  3,  1833,  the  name 
of  "  Mormons"  was  repudiated,  and  that  of  "  Latter-Day 
Saints"  was  adopted.  The  first  presidency  consisted  of 
Smith,  Rigdon,  and  F.  G.  Williams. 

In  May,  1835,  the  first  missionaries,  from  the  "  Twelve 

LIBRARY  , 

UNJVERS/TY  OF  ILDNOF 
I    OF  ILL.   UB.  AT  URBWA-CHAMPAIGI 


52  NEW   LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM. 

Apostles,"  went  forth  to  foreign  lands  to  make  proselytes, 
among  whom  being  Orson  Hyde,  Brigliam  Young,  and 
Heber  C.  Kimball ;  Rigdon  remained  at  Kirtland,  and  the 
same  year  issued  a  volume  which  he  called  "  The  Book 
of  Doctrines  and  Covenants,"  and  "  Lectures  on  Faith," 
both  of  which  were  immediately  adopted  by  the  converts. 

A  professor  of  Hebrew  having  joined  them,  all  the 
male  adults  studied  that  language  industriously. 

The  Mormons  remained  at  Kirtland  seven  years.  Rig- 
don  was  considered  the  ablest  man  of  the  whole  member- 
ship. At  one  time  he  said  he  was  commanded  by  a  vis- 
ion to  visit  Queen  Victoria,  and  to  hurl  her  from  her 
throne  if  she  refused  his  gospel. 

In  1837  he  was  president  of  a  "  wild- cat"  bank  at 
Kirtland,  which  he  originated  (Smith  being  cashier),  and 
he  manipulated  a  great  many  schemes  to  obtain  money 
and  goods  both  in  Cleveland  and  in  New  York,  the  bub- 
ble bursting  with  loss  and  annoyance  to  many  sufferers. 
Both  Smith  and  Rigdon,  after  being  tarred  and  feathered, 
fled  to  an  advance  settlement  of  Mormons  called  "  Far 
West,"  in  Missouri. 

In  l&iO  the  Mormons  moved  to  Nauvoo,  111.  In 
1844,  when  Smith  was  killed,  Rigdon  was  tricked  out  of 
his  leadership  by  Brigliam  Young  ;  and,  refusing  to  rec- 
ognize his  authority,  was  excommunicated  and  delivered 
to  the  devil,  "to  be  buffeted  in  the  flesh  for  a  thousand 
years."  After  his  departure  from  JSTauvoo  the  Danite 
band  was  ordered  to  "fan"  him  and  others  who  left  to 
keep  their  mouths  closed  ;  also  to  intimidate  members  of 
the  community  who  were  inclined  to  desert. 

In  three  years  after  Rigdon  had  openly  joined  the 
Mormons  at  Kirtland,  Mormon  societies  were  established 
in  Canada,  Missouri,  Illinois,  Ohio,  Virginia,  New  York, 
Vermont,  New  Hampshire,  Massachusetts,  and  in  nearly 


NEW   LIGHT    ON   MORMONISM.  53 

ail  of  the  Northern,  Middle,  and  some  of  the  Southern 
States. 

At  one  time  during  his  residence  at  Kirtland,  Alexan- 
der Campbell,  his  former  associate  and  patron,  challenged 
him  to  a  public  debate,  in  which  he  declared  he  would 
show  the  shameless  pretension  and  manifest  imposture  of 
the  Mormon  scheme  ;  but  Rigdon  prudently  declined. 

Rigdon  once  said  that  Kirtland  was  to  be  the  eastern 
border  of  the  "promised  land,"  and  from  thence  it 
would  extend  to  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

On  this  land  the  New  Jerusalem  was  to  be  built,  the 
City  of  Refuge,  where  all  true  Mormons  were  to  assem- 
ble, to  escape  the  destruction  of  the  world,  which  was 
shortly  to  take  place. 

After  his  expulsion  from  Nauvoo  he  returned  to  Pitts- 
burg,  led  a  life  of  utter  obscurity  and  vagrancy,  wander- 
ing at  times  through  the  scenes  where  he  had  formerly 
preached  with  so  much  power,  and  dying  at  Friendship, 
a  village  in  Alleghany  Co.,  N.  Y.,  July  14, 1876.  Even 
in  his  extreme  old  age  he  is  described  by  several  persons 
as  being  remarkable  in  his  personal  appearance,  intelli- 
gence, and  memory. 

The  statement,  that  Rigdon  with  Smith's  assistance  pre- 
pared the  plates  to  be  used  later  at  Cummorah  Hill,  while 
at  Great  Bend,  Penn.,  is  undoubtedly  true.  The  absence 
of  both  individuals  from  their  accustomed  haunts  was  sub- 
stantiated by  several  persons  familiar  with  the  matter  at 
the  time,  and  by  the  Rev.  Peter  Bridgeman,  who  died  a 
few  years  since  at  Cortlandt,  1ST.  Y.  Smith,  too,  at  the 
time  (1826)  was  heard  to  use  the  words  "  Mormon"  and 
"  Nephi"  before  he  met  Rigdon,  proving  his  previous 
acquaintance  with  the  Spaulding  manuscript. 

No  one^  believes  that  Joe  Smith  was  capable  of  formu- 
lating the  "  Book  of  Mormon"  from  "  The  Manuscript 


54  NEW  LIGHT   ON    MOHMONISM. 

Found."  lie  was  merely  the  tool  of  the  very  clever  and 
unscrupulous  Rigdon  in  this  extraordinary  and  nefarious 
scheme. 

During  the  visit  to  Ohio  to  collect  material  for  this 
work,  the  author  had  an  interesting  interview  with  Gen- 
eral and  Mrs.  Gar  field  at  their  home  in  Mentor.  Dr. 
II.  M.  Field,  of  the  New  York  Evangelist,  had  provided 
a  letter  of  introduction.  It  was  just  after  General  Gar- 
field's  election  to  the  Presidency,  and  happened  to  be  his 
birthday.  There  was  a  family  gathering,  and  at  the 
mid-day  dinner,  and  afterward  in  the  drawing-room,  of 
the  general,  his  wife,  his  mother,  and  an  elderly  physi- 
cian, long  a  resident  of  the  neighborhood,  and  all  being 
familiar  with  Rigdon,  the  Mormons,  and  Mormonism,  the 
talk  naturally  ran  in  that  direction. 

The  general  was  greatly  interested  in  the  account  of 
the  visit  to  Gibsonburg  ;  he  said  his  farm  had  once  been 
owned  by  a  Mormon,  that  the  Mormons  gathered  at  the 
village  of  Mentor  before  going  to  Kirtland,  three  miles 
away,  and  that  Rigdon  lived  long  in  the  neighborhood. 

Mrs.  Garfield  repeated  some  reminiscences  of  her 
father's  (Mr.  F.  Rudolph)  in  connection  with  Rigdon, 
and  of  his  being  a  member  of  his  church  and  studying 
Greek  with  him.  General  and  Mrs.  Garfield,  as  is  well 
known,  belonged  to  the  Campbellite  Church,  in  which 
Rigdon  was  in  early  life  a  minister. 

The  general  related  an  anecdote  of  Joe  Smith.  He 
had  been  preaching  at  Kirtland  some  doctrine  (a  hint  of 
polygamy)  that  was  a  surprise  to  the  people  of  the  neigh- 
borhood. The  same  night  several  men  went  to  his 
house,  dragged  him  out  of  bed,  tarred  and  feathered 
him,  and  rode  him  on  a  rail ;  and,  according  to  a  Mor- 
mon historian,  "his  spirit  left  his  body,  but  afterward 
regained  possession."  A  child  who  was  in  bed  with 


NEW   LIGHT   OK    MOEMONISM.  55 

Smith  was  also  dragged  out,  and  the  exposure  caused  its 
death. 

This  created  a  sympathy  for  the  prophet  for  the  time 
being.  The  Kirtland  Temple,  the  general  said,  is  owned 
at  present  by  Joe  Smith's  son,  a  number  of  Mormons 
still  residing  near  it,  the  "  true  Mormons,"  or  Josephites, 
as  they  call  themselves,  who  profess  to  abhor  polygamy. 

Both  the  general  and  Mrs.  Garfield  were  sure  tliat 
Rigdon  returned  to  his  professed  belief  in  the  Camp- 
bellite  doctrines  after  he  left  the  Mormons  in  Illinois, 
and  that  he  preached  again  in  that  neighborhood. 

When  General  Garfield  was  at  Salt  Lake  City,  on  a 
return  trip  from  California,  he  visited  Brigham  Young 
and  asked  how  he  happened  to  choose  that  place  for 
settlement. 

11  Why,"  said  Young,  "  we  were  travelling  along,  and 
I  was  lying  in  a  wagon,  and  all  of  a  sudden  I  called  out, 
(  Halt  !  the  Lord  says  "  stop  here  ;"  '  and  there  on  that 
hill"  (pointing  to  one)  "  an  angel  of  the  Lord  stood,  and 
pointed  down  this  valley,  and  said,  '  Stay  there.'  : 

"  While  we  were  talking"  (continued  the  General) 
"  the  train  I  was  coming  away  in  commenced  to  move, 
and  Young  called  to  the  engineer,  stretching  out  his 
hand,  '  Wait  awhile  for  General  Garfield,'  and  it  did 
wait."  Brigham  Young  he  considered  a  man  of  im- 
mense will  power  and  great  intelligence. 

General  Garfield  expressed  his  utter  abhorrence  of  the 
Mormons  and  their  doctrines,  and  hinted  at  his  future 
course  concerning  them  after  his  inauguration. 

Kirtland  is  three  miles  from  Mentor,  on  a  branch  of 
the  Chagrin  River,  and  twenty-two  miles  east  from 
Cleveland,  in  a  remarkably  fine  country. 

The  Mormons  on  their  arrival  purchased  a  square  mile, 
which  was  laid  out  in  half -acre  lots  ;  and  in  addition  they 


56  NEW   LIGHT   Olf   MORMONISM. 

bought  a  number  of  farms,  the  "  church  farm"  being 
described  as  half  a  mile  down  in  an  exquisitely  beautiful 
valley. 

They  evidently  expected  to  remain  there,  as  they 
erected  a  number  of  substantial  houses  and  their  beauti- 
ful Temple,  which  Smith  called  "  the  School  of  the 
Prophets." 

The  advent  of  so  many  strangers  in  the  midst  of  a 
quiet  village  was  a  matter  of  wonder  to  the  hitherto 
peaceful  residents,  and  they  looked  on  in  astonishment, 
as  did  all  northern  Ohio,  when  the  Mormons  built  their 
church,  which  was  commenced  in  1832  and  finished  in 
1836,  the  entire  cost  being  $40,000. 

The  site  occupied  measures  eighty  feet  by  sixty.  On 
the  eastern  side  is  a  square  tower,  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  feet  in  height,  which  is  surmounted  by  a 
domed  belfry.  There  are  two  lofty  stories  above  a  base- 
ment, and  the  shingled  roof  is  relieved  by  a  number  of 
dormer  windows. 

The  architectual  proportions  are  good,  and  the  building 
has  but  slight  resemblance  to  the  meeting-houses  com- 
mon to  the  rural  portion  of  Ohio,  the  windows  being 
Gothic,  and  filled  with  small  panes  of  glass,  thus  affording 
a  pleasing  contrast  to  the  solid  walls  of  stone  and  stucco. 
There  are  thirty  Gothic,  three  Venetian,  three  dormer, 
one  circular,  and  two  square  windows.  The  dome  of 
the  steeple  is  one  hundred  and  ten  feet  high,  and  the 
bell  ninety  feet  from  the  ground. 

Although  the  edifice  is  fifty  years  old,  it  is  in  good 
preservation,  considering  the  neglect  with  which  it  has 
been  treated,  and  it  might  be  very  easily  restored  to  its 
former  beauty.  It  is  at  present  somewhat  picturesque, 
with  its  walls  streaked  with  iron-rust,  the  moss-grown 
shingles,  the  eaves  filled  with  wasp  and  bird  nests,  and  the 


NEW    LIGHT  OK   MORMONISM.  57 

chimneys  betokening  a  mild  decay.  Many  tourists  visit 
the  temple.  The  keys  are  kept  by  an  old  woman  named 
Electry  Stratton,  whose  father  was  a  Mormon,  and  she 
charges  a  small  fee  for  showing  it  to  visitors. 

Approaching  the  temple  through  the  yard  surrounding 
it,  an  inscription  is  seen  high  up  on  the  front  wall  in 
golden  letters  upon  a  white  tablet,  which  reads  :  "  House 
of  the  Lord,  built  by  the  Church  of  Christ,  1834."  The 
temple  faces  to  the  east.  The  entire  front  of  the  first 
story  of  the  building  consists  of  solid  green  doors,  which 
open  into  a  vestibule  that  terminates  on  each  side  in  a 
semi-circular  stairway.  A  flood  of  light  enters  the  ves- 
tibule through  a  great  square  window  above  it. 

At  the  right,  under  the  stairway,  is  the  temple  "  Reg- 
ister Itoom,"  containing  a  record  of  visitors.  On  the  left, 
under  the  stairs,  is  the  library.  The  ladies'  entrance  is 
on  the  right,  the  gentlemen's  on  the  left.  Between  these 
doors  are  the  inscriptions  :  Laus  Deo.  Cruxmila  an- 
chora.  Magno  est  Veritas  et  prevalebit. 

The  whole  of  the  first  story  is  occupied  by  the  audi- 
torium. The  windows  at  each  end  are  very  beautiful, 
and  a  row  of  wooden  pillars  at  the  sides  gives  the  effect 
of  galleries  on  entering  the  room.  The  space  between 
the  rows  is  arched  toward  the  centre  of  the  ceiling.  One 
of  the  pillars  contains  a  windlass,  which,  in  the  occupancy 
of  the  place  by  the  Mormons,  controlled  some  canvas 
curtains  from  above — a  large  curtain  that  fell  in  grooves 
between  the  high-backed  pews,  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
separate  the  men  from  the  women — while  the  smaller 
curtain  was  at  right  angles  with  the  other,  and  when 
desirable  it  could  be  lowered,  so  as  to  divide  the  men  and 
women  into  separate  class-rooms.  Thus  the  auditorium 
could  be  quartered,  or  halved,  and  made  either  eastward 
or  westward,  by  changing  the  movable  benches  from 


58  NEW   LIGHT  ON   MORMONISM. 

one  side  of  the  pews  to  the  other.  The  pulpits  are  in 
clusters  of  threes,  in  three  tiers,  at  either  end  of  the 
room,  and  are  very  richly  carved.  The  eastern  cluster 
was  devoted  to  the  "  Avonic  Priesthood,"  including  the 
"  Levitical  Priesthood,"  and  used  in  the  administration 
of  the  temporal  affairs  of  the  church.  Each  of  the  three 
pulpits  in  the  upper  tier  has  three  letters  on  the  front, 
"  B.  P.  A.,"  meaning  "  Bishop  Presiding  over  Avonic 
Priesthood."  The  middle  tier  has  the  letters  "  P.  A. 
P.,"  "Presiding  Avonic  Priesthood."  The  lower  tier 
has  the  letters  "P.  A.  T.,"  "  Presiding  Avonic  Teach- 
er." The  smaller  pulpit  below  is  labelled  "  P.  A.  D.," 
"  Presiding  Avonic  Doorkeeper." 

The  pulpits  at  the  west  end  are  built  up  against  an 
outer  window,  having  red  and  white  glass  in  the  arched 
transom.  These  were  used  by  the  spiritual  leaders,  or 
the  "  Melchisedec  Priesthood,"  Joe  Smith's  seat  being 
in  the  highest  tier.  This  tier  of  pulpits  is  marked  ' '  M. 
P.  C.,"  "  Melchisedec  President  of  Councillors  ;"  "  M. 
P.  H.,"  "Melchisedec  Presiding  High-Priest."  The 
lower  tier  is  "  M.  H.  P.,"  "  Melchisedec  High-Priest." 
Curtains  were  arranged  so  as  to  divide  the  priesthood,  as 
well  as  congregation,  and  they  could  at  will  shut  them- 
selves in  for  consultation,  but  could  not  hide  themselves 
from  their  superiors  in  ecclesiastical  rank. 

.Remnants  of  these  movable  curtains  are  still  hanging. 
A  small  desk  before  and  below  the  Melchisedec  pulpit 
has  three  letters  on  it,  "  M.  P.  E.,"  "  Melchisedec  Pre- 
siding Elder." 

The  letters  are  made  of  red  curtain  calico,  and  the 
desk,  as  well  as  all  the  pulpits  above,  are  now  covered  with 
calico  ;  but  in  their  days  of  splendor  rich  velvet  draperies 
enhanced  the  beauty  of  the  carved  wood,  and  the  letter- 
ing on  the  pulpits  was  in  gold. 


NEW   LIGHT  ON   MOKMONISM.  59 

The  gilt  mouldings  have  all  been  carried  off  by  relic- 
hunters,  but  there  are  still  several  mottoes  on  the  walls 
which  remain  intact,  such  as  "No  cross,  no  crown,"  "  The 
Lord  reigneth,  let  the  people  rejoice,"  "  Great  is  our 
Lord  and  of  great  power."  "  Holiness  to  the  Lord"  is 
written  over  the  ten  Melchisedec  pulpits. 

The  auditorium  will  hold  six  hundred  people.  Under 
Rigdon's,  Pratt's,  and  Cowdrey's  exhortations,  as  well 
as  Smith's,  relays  of  people  occupied  it  in  a  single  ser- 
vice. Smith  was  in  the  habit  of  saying  from  his  high 
pulpit,  "  The  truth  is  good  enough  without  dressing  up  ; 
but  Brother  Rigdon  will  now  proceed  to  dress  it  up." 
The  high  pews  in  the  corners  were  for  "  the  best  sing- 
ers in  Israel." 

A  story  is  told  how  a  crazy  woman  would  get  into  one 
of  them  and  blow  a  horn  when  "  the  Saints"  displeased 
her.  In  the  upper  story  is  a  second  auditorium,  very 
similar  to  the  one  described,  only  smaller  and  lower,  which 
was  used  as  a  school  for  the  prophets.  Here  Latin  and 
Greek  were  taught  under  the  tutorship  of  Rigdon  and 
his  assistant  professor  of  languages.  The  desks  are  no 
longer  there,  but  the  places  they  occupied  are  shown  by 
marks  on  the  floor. 

One  of  the  pillars  in  this  room  bears  a  remarkable  in- 
scription to  this  effect,  "  The  Salt  Lake  Mormons." 

When  Joseph  Smith  was  killed  on  June  27,  1844, 
Brigham  Young  assumed  the  leadership  of  the  church, 
telling  the  people,  in  the  winter  of  1846,  that  "  all  the 
God  they  wanted  was  him,"  and  "  all  the  Bible  they 
wanted  was  his  heart."  He  led  or  drove  about  two 
thousand  people  to  Utah  in  1847,  starting  for  Upper 
California  and  landing  at  Salt  Lake,  where,  in  1852, 
he  presented  poly  garni  c  revelation  to  the  people.  The 
true  church  remained  disorganized  until  1860,  when 


60  NEW   LIGHT   ON   MOHMONISM. 

Joseph  Smith  took  the  leadership  or  presidency  of  the 
church  at  Amboy,  111. 

"  We  (thirty  thousand)  have  no  affiliation  with  the 
Mormons  whatever.  They  are  to  us  an  obsolete  people, 
working  all  manner  of  abomination  before  God  and  man. 
We  are  no  part  or  parcel  of  them  in  any  sense  whatever. 
Let  this  be  distinctly  understood.  We  are  not  Mor- 
mons. Truth  is  truth  wherever  it  is  found." 

In  the  vestibule  of  the  temple  there  is  a  photograph  of 
Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  and  over  it  is  written,  "  Joseph  Smith, 
Jr.,  M.  P.  C.,  President  of  the  Reorganized  Church  of 
I.  C.  and  L.  D.  S."  The  garret  of  the  temple  was  used 
formerly  as  a  series  of  school-rooms  for  the  young  Mor- 
mons. There  are  mysterious  closets,  or,  as  Mr.  F.  G. 
Mather  (in  Lippincotf  s  Magazine  for  August,  1880)  calls 
them,  "cubby-holes, "  in  several  parts  of  the  building.  In 
one  of  them  was  kept  the  body  of  "  Joseph  the  son  of 
Jacob,"  a  roll  of  papyrus  in  his  hand  announcing  this 
fact  to  the  Saints. 

When  the  temple  at  Kirtland  was  dedicated  there 
was  a  great  assemblage  there,  the  Mormons  spending  the 
day  in  fasting  and  prayer.  The  members  of  the  priest- 
hood washed  their  bodies  with  pure  water,  and  perfumed 
themselves  with  eau-de-cologne.  They  also  washed  each 
other's  feet,  and  anointed  each  other  with  holy  oil,  pro- 
nouncing a  benediction  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.  In  the 
evening  they  met  to  receive  the  long-expected  endow- 
ment, when  they  first  broke  their  fast  by  what  they  called 
the  "  Lord's  Supper,"  in  which  they  ate  a  light  wheaten 
bread,  and  freely  partook  of  wine,  the  prophet  telling 
them  it  would  not  hurt  them.  A  spirit  of  prophecy  en- 
sued in  which  they  blessed  their  friends  and  cursed  their 
enemies.  An  eye-witness  of  this  strange  scene  says  of 
it :  "If  I  should  be  so  unfortunate  as  to  go  to  the  re- 


NEW   LIGHT  ON  MORMONISM.  61 

gions  of  despair,  I  never  expect  to  hear  language  more 
awful  or  more  becoming  the  infernal  pit." 

In  1835  Smith  issued  a  command  at  Kirtland,  that  his 
three  or  four  hundred  elders  "  should  seek  learning, 
study  the  best  books,  and  get  a  knowledge  of  kingdoms, 
countries,  and  languages;"  and  a  Jew  by  the  name  of 
Seixas  was  hired  to  teach  languages. 

The  Temple  has  been  used  within  a  few  years  as  an 
Odd  Fellows'  lodge.  At  the  present  time  it  is  owned  by 
Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  and  a  Mr.  Fortescue,  who  derived 
their  title  from  a  Mr.  Huntley,  a  purchaser  under  a 
mortgage  sale  against  the  Prophet.  This  Joseph  Smith, 
Jr.,  is  a  son  of  the  Prophet  ;  he  was  born  at  Kirtland  in 
1832,  and  was  twelve  years  of  age  when  his  father  was 
shot  at  ISTauvoo.  He  has  been  a  farmer,  school-teacher, 
or  director  and  justice  of  the  peace.  He  has  been  the 
editor  of  The  Latter  Day  Saints'1  Herald  at  Piano,  111. 

"When  Smith,  the  Prophet,  and  Eigdon  fled  in  the 
night  from  Kirtland,  the  Mormons  were  divided  into 
Rigdonites,  Strangites,  and  various  sects,  and  scattered 
to  several  localities  ;  but  a  few  families  remained,  of 
whom  some  aged  members  are  still  living  who  are  full  of 
reminiscences  of  their  remarkable  experiences  in  early 
life  in  connection  with  the  beginning  of  Mormonism. 

The  Methodists  at  Kirtland  now  use  what  was  the 
Theological  Seminary  of  the  Mormons  for  their  church, 
and  the  residences  of  Rigdon  and  Smith  are  well  pre- 
served and  are  close  to  the  quaint  edifice  described,  for 
which  the  Prophet  said  he  had  a  special  revelation  as 
to  plan  and  architecture.* 

*  Several  Mormons  now  resident  in  Utah  who  remember  the  dedi- 
cation of  the  Temple  at  Kirtland,  declare  that  angels  were  seen  in 
the  auditorium,  and  that  a  babe  two  months  old  cried  out :  "  Glory 
Hallelujah!" 


CHAPTER  Y. 

Interview  with  D.  P.  Hurlburt  at  Gibonburg,  Ohio,  and  with  E.  D. 
Howe,  at  Painesville,  Ohio,  in  1880. 

IN  the  year  1878  Mrs.  McKinstry  gave  a  gentleman 
residing  in  Utah,  who  is  gathering  material  for  an  elabo- 
rate history  of  Mormonism,  permission  to  question  Dr. 
Hurlburt  concerning  the  Spaulding  manuscript.  He 
made  no  response,  although  there  was  abundant  evidence 
that  he  received  the  request.  It  is  also  known  that  he 
received  other  requests  of  the  same  character,  which  he 
has  never  acknowledged. 

In  1834  Mrs.  Davison  heard  that  Hurlburt  sold 
the  manuscript  to  the  Mormons  for  a  sum  of  money, 
which  he  used  in  purchasing  the  farm  near  Gibsonburg, 
Ohio  (about  twelve  miles  from  Fremont),  where  he  now 
resides,  and  that  the  Mormons  burned  the  manuscript  at 
Conneaut.  A  second  report  was  to  the  effect  that  Hurl- 
burt sold  it  with  the  sworn  agreement  that  it  should  not 
be  given  to  the  world  until  after  his  death.  There  are 
circumstances  which  support  both  theories  ;  but  the  au- 
thor's opinion,  after  a  careful  study  of  the  matter,  is,  that 
Hurlburt  made  a  copy  of  the  original  manuscript,  which 
he  sold  to  E.  D.  Howe,  of  Painesville,  to  use  in  writing 
the  book  "  Mormonism  Unveiled,"  and  sold  the  original 
to  the  Mormons,  who  destroyed  it.  The  life  of  Hurl- 
burt since  his  return  from  his  errand  of  duplicity  to 
Munson  shows  conclusively  that  he  wishes  to  hide  himself 
from  the  world,  and  that  he  is  burdened  with  a  secret 
which  he  does  not  intend  shall  come  to  light  through  any 
act  or  revelation  of  his  own. 


NEW   LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM.  63 

THE   INTERVIEW   WITH   DK.   HTJELBTJRT. 

In  August  of  1880  the  author  had  an  article  published 
in  Scribner's  Magazine  on  the  "  Book  of  Mormon,"  and 
in  the  November  following  visited  Dr.  Hurlburt  at  his 
home,  near  Gibsonburg,  Ohio,  in  company  with  Oscar 
Kellogg,  Esq.,  of  Norwalk,  a  well-known  lawyer  of  the 
vicinity.  (Appendix,  see  Mr.  Kellogg's  letter,  ~No.  7.) 
From  notes  written  immediately  after  this  visit,  while 
staying  in  Mr.  Kellogg's  house,  and  while  every  detail  and 
circumstance  was  fresh  in  the  writer's  mind,  a  description 
of  the  interview  with  Hurlburt  will  be  here  given. 

In  advance,  it  must  be  stated  that  Hurlburt  had  not 
the  remotest  anticipation  of  this  visit,  and  that  it  was  an 
entire  surprise  to  him  and  his  family.  It  was  on  No- 
vember 13th,  1880,  a  cold,  cheerless  day,  that  Mr.  Kel- 
logg and  myself  made  the  journey  from  Fremont  to 
Gibsonburg.  A  more  forlorn  country  and  worse  roads 
it  would  be  difficult  to  find  in  any  portion  of  the  United 
States ;  indeed,  save  for  the  telegraph  wires  and  a  line 
of  railway  that  passes  through  Gibsgnburg,  one  could 
imagine  one's  self  at  the  antipodes,  while  traversing 
the  melancholy  twelve  miles  between  Fremont  and  Dr. 
Hurlburt's  house,  which  is  a  mile  from  the  railway 
station  at  Gibsonburg. 

Driving  up  to  the  front  of  a  small  white-painted 
cottage  some  distance  from  the  road,  we  alighted  without 
attracting  attention.  It  was  noon-time,  and,  stepping  on 
the  piazza,  we  heard  within  sounds  that  gave  evidence 
of  the  midday  meal  and  conversation.  Rapping  at 
the  door,  it  was  opened  by  an  old  woman,  who  had  just 
risen  from  a  table,  where  sat  an  old  man,  a  young  girl, 
and  a  young  man,  who  were  still  engaged  in  eating. 
Advancing  into  the  room,  after  excuses  for  so  intruding, 


64  NEW   LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM. 

I  asked  the  old  man,  who,  with  the  others,  now  rose  from 
the  table  : 

"  Is  this  Dr.  D.  P.  Hnrlburt  2" 

"Yes,"  he  replied. 

1  gave  him  a  letter,  saying  that  it  was  from  the  Hon. 
John  Rice,  of  Fremont  ;  and  as  he  seemed  very  much 
agitated,  I  inquired  : 

"  Shall  I  read  it  to  you  2" 

"  Yes,"  he  again  replied. 

The  letter  mentioned  the  writer  as  seeking  information 
regarding  Monnonism.  In  short,  it  was  a  letter  introduc- 
ing Mr.  Kellogg  and  myself,  written  by  Dr.  Hurlbnrt's 
physician,  Dr.  Rice,  who  had  said  to  me  that  Hurl  hurt 
was  in  a  precarious  condition  of  health,  and  whatever 
I  had  to  ask  of  him  had  better  not  be  delayed,  and  that 
I  had  better  see  him  at  once. 

Dr.  D.  P.  Hurlburt  died  in  1882,  two  years  after  the 
interview  described. 

By  the  time  1  began  the  letter  we  were  all  seated, 
save  Hurlburt,  who  remained  standing  ;  and  when  I  had 
finished  reading  he  was  shaking  violently,  as  with  palsy, 
and  very  greatly  agitated.  1  was  struck  with  his  appear- 
ance. He  was  still  a  very  handsome  old  man,  even  in 
his  shabby  clothing  and  amid  his  plain  and  homely  sur- 
roundings, having  a  fine,  ruddy  complexion,  expressive 
eyes,  long,  abundant  gray  hair,  and  a  figure  of  excellent 
proportions.  He  looked  at  us  both  curiously,  then  with 
difficulty  burst  out  : 

"  I  don't  know  what  has  made  folks  so  curious  about 
Mormonism  lately.  I  think  it  is  an  article  in  a  magazine 
published  last  summer.  Why,  I  haven't  heard  anything 
about  the  Mormons  in  forty  years  till  now  ;  and  there's 
a  man  named  Craig,  in  Alleghany  City,  and  one  named 
Cobb,  in  Salt  Lake  City  (above  alluded  to),  and  another 


NEW   LIGHT  ON"   MORMONISM.  65 

named  Patterson,  in  Pittsburg,  all  writing  to  me  about  a 
manuscript  they  say  I  got  from  Mrs.  Davison,  at  Mun- 
son,  Mass.,  in  1834: ;  I  have  not  answered  one  of  these 
folks." 

"  Well.  Mr.  Hurlburt,  did  you  get  the  manuscript 
from  Mrs.  Davison  ?"  I  asked. 

"  Yes,"  he  replied,  shaking  still  more  violently — 
"  yes,  1  got  one  she  gave  me  an  order  for." 

''Mr.  Hurlburt"  (for  I  dropped  the  Dr.),  I  remark- 
ed, getting  up,  and  looking  him  steadily  in  the  eye, 
"  I  am  the  person  who  wrote  the  magazine  article  you 
have  just  mentioned,  the  great-niece  of  Solomon  Spauld- 
ing  and  the  granddaughter  of  William  II.  Sabine,  who 
gave  the  order  for  '  The  Manuscript  Found,'  which  you 
presented  to  Mrs.  Davison  at  Munson,  Mass.,  in  1834." 

He  started,  appeared  to  be  alarmed,  trembled  exces- 
sively, and  after  a  little  gasped  out  in  a  faint  voice  : 

"  Is  that  so  ?" 

Mrs.  Hurlburt,  a  sweet-faced,  sad-eyed  old  woman, 
who  had  admitted  Mr.  Kellogg  and  myself,  came  close 
to  me,  and,  gently  stretching  out  her  hand  toward  me, 
said  : 

"  Well,  we  will  tell  you  what  we  know  ;  we  are  will- 
ing to  tell  you." 

"  I  hope  you  will,"  I  replied,  "  as  1  have  come  from 
New  York  on  purpose  to  see  you  on  this  subject,  and  if 
there  is  any  one  who  ought  to  have  the  truth  concerning 
'  The  Manuscript  Found,'  it  is  our  family." 

Then  I  turned  to  Hurlburt,  and  asked  : 

"  Are  you  the  Hurlburt  who  visited  Mrs.  Davison,  my 
great-aunt,  in  1834  ?" 

"  Yes,"  he  replied. 

"  Did  you  get  '  The  Manuscript  Found  '  at  her  order 
in  Hartwick,  !N.  Y.,  from  Jerome  Clark  ?" 


CG  NEW   LIGHT  ON  MORMOXISM. 

"  Yes  ;  I  got  what  they  said  was  Spaulding's  manu- 
script." 

"  For  what  purpose  ?" 

"  I  was  sent  there  by  a  man  named  E.  D.  Howe,  of 
Painesville,  Ohio.  He  wrote  a  book  called  l  Mormonism 
Unveiled,'  and  he  wanted  to  compare  the  Spaulding 
manuscript  with  the  '  Book  of  Mormon.'  ' 

' '  Did  he  think  Mrs.  Davison  had  the  original  manu- 
script ?" 

"Yes,  he  thought  so." 

' '  Did  you  give  him  the  manuscript  you  got  at  Hart- 
wick  ?" 

"Yes,  I  did." 

Here  Mrs.  Hurlburt,  who  listened  intently  to  this 
talk,  went  to  a  bureau  and  found  a  letter,  which  she 
handed  to  me,  Hurlburt  helping  her  to  do  so.  I  closely 
watched  and  listened  to  see  if  there  was  anything  said 
between  them.  Their  heads  and  hands  were  in  close 
proximity  as  they  bent  over  the  drawer  ;  and  although  I 
could  hear  nothing  distinctly,  I  believe  and  always  shall 
believe  that  he  conveyed  instructions  to  his  wife  as  to  her 
further  conduct  in  the  matter. 

The  letter  was  from  E.  D.  Howe,  of  Painesville,  the  - 
aged  author  of  the  book  ' '  Mormonism  Unveiled. ' '  Its 
purport  was  that  he  had  seen  the  magazine  article  alluded 
to,  and  after  a  criticism  on  the  statements  made  in  it, 
he  told  Hurlburt  that  the  manuscript  which  he  (Hurl- 
burt) had  given  to  him,  in  1834,  was  burned,  with  other 
of  his  papers,  in  his  office,  etc. 

After  reading  it  I  again  looked  significantly  at  both 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hurlburt,  and  asked  : 

"  Do  you  believe  the  manuscript  was  burned  ?" 

"  Well,  he  says  it  was,"  Hurlburt  replied,  greatly  dis- 
turbed. 


NEW   LIGHT   OK   MORMOXISM.  67 

"  Was  it  Spaulding's  manuscript  that  was  burned  ?" 

Hurlburt  waited  a  moment  before  answering,  his  wife 
looking  at  him  with  a  pleading,  sad  expression  of  coun- 
tenance. 

"  Mrs.  Davison  thought  it  was  ;  but  when  1  just 
peeped  into  it  here  and  there,  and  saw  the  names  Mor- 
rnon,  Maroni,  Lamenite,  Nephi,  I  thought  it  was  all 
nonsense  ;  why,  if  it  had  been  the  real  one,  I  could  have 
sold  it  for  $3000  ;  but  I  just  gave  it  to  Howe  because  it 
was  of  no  account." 

"Had  you  any  right  to  do  so?  You  borrowed  it, 
solemnly  promising  to  return  it  to  Mrs.  Davison." 

He  grew  still  more  disturbed,  and  replied  : 

11  Well,  I  forgot  most  all  about  it." 

"  Did  you  intend  to  return  it  ?"  I  asked,  very  slowly. 
Instead  of  answering,  he  told  his  wife  to  bring  him 
another  letter  from  the  bureau,  a  kind  of  statement  which 
he  had  made  to  send  to  Mr.  Patterson,  of  Pittsburg,  but 
would  give  to  me.  After  reading  it,  I  remarked  : 

"  Then  you  know  the  history  of  the  Spaulding  manu- 
script ?" 

"  Oh,  yes,  all  about  it  !" 

"  Were  you  a  Mormon  ?" 

"  No,"  he  quickly  answered. 

"  Yes,  you  were,"  interposed  his  wife. 

"  Well,  I  suppose  I  was  about  a  year,"  said  Hurlburt, 
reluctantly. 

"  Were  you  at  Conneaut  in  1834,  at  the  time  the 
Mormons  met  there  and  had  their  meeting  ?" 

"  Why,  certainly,"  he  replied  ;  "  the  Mormons  sent 
me  to  get  the  manuscript  from  Mrs.  Davison. " 

"  I  thought  you  said  Howe  sent  you." 

"  Well,  when  1  found  the  manuscript  amounted  to 
nothing,  I  gave  it  to  Howe,"  he  replied,  looking  guilty. 


68  NEW   LIGHT   ON   MOEMOXISil. 

Mr.  Kellogg,  wlio  had  been  observing  everything  in 
our  conversation,  but  letting  me  (as  we  had  agreed  before 
entering  the  house)  do  the  talking,  here  said  : 

"  Mr.  Hurlburt,  this  lady  has  come  a  great  distance  to 
see  you,  and  you  ought  to  tell  her  what  she  desires  to 
learn." 

"  You're  a  lawyer,  I  guess,"  remarked  the  old  man, 
eying  Mr.  Kellogg. 

"  Yes,  from  Norwalk  ;  my  name  is  Oscar  Kellogg, 
and  I  think  you  were  once  on  the  jury  in  a  case  I  tried." 

"  Well,  I  thought  I  had  seen  you  when  you  came  in  ; 
is  this  lady  a  relative  of  yours  ?" 

"  Yes,  my  wife's  cousin  ;  she  is  staying  with  us." 

"  And  you  came  over  here  from  Nor  walk  with  her 
to  see  me  ?" 

"  Yes,  I  came  to  help  her,  if  she  needs  my  assistance." 

"Mr.  Hurlburt,"  I  resumed,  "  do  you  know  where 
'  The  Manuscript  Found  '  is  at  the  present  time  ?" 

The  old  lady  went  close  to  Hurlburt,  touched  his  shak- 
ing arms,  looked  up  in  his  face,  and  said  : 

"  Tell  her  what  you  know." 

His  face  became  perfectly  scarlet,  and  his  trembling 
increased.  He  turned  (for  during  this  entire  interview 
he  stood  up,  a  most  pitiable  object  in  his  infirmity,  as  he 
became  more  and  more  agitated,  in  the  evidently  fierce 
conflict  he  was  going  through  not  to  betray  himself  or  to 
allow  his  wife  to  unburden  her  heart  of  her  knowledge), 
and  looked  at  both  Mr.  Kellogg  and  myself,  and  almost 
screamed  :  * 

"  Why,  you  must  be  crazy  to  ask  such  a  question. 
Did  I  not  say  I  gave  it  to  E.  D.  Howe,  and  he  says  in 
the  letter  you  read  from  him  it  was  burned  up  in  his 
printing  house.  Why,  lady,  if  1  knew  where  it  was,  I 
would  give  $1000  and  my  farm  besides  for  it." 


NEW   LIGHT   OX    MORMOXISM.  69 

11  You  know,"  I  laughingly  said,  "  the  report  is  you 
were  paid  $300  by  the  Mormons  for  the  manuscript, 
and  with  that  money  bought  this  farm." 

He  smiled  for  the  first  time,  and  replied  : 

"  Why,  the  Mormons  hated  me  ;  they  threatened  me. 
I  had  a  fight  with  Joe  Smith,  and  had  to  have  him 
bound  to  keep  the  peace  with  me. " 

"  Why  did  they  hate  you  ?" 

"  Well,  it  was  something  about  that  book,  '  Mormon- 
ism  Unveiled.'  " 

"  Mr.  Hurlburt,  you  retain  your  memory  perfectly  V ' 

"  Yes,  I'm  right  up  here"  (pointing  to  his  head), 
"  but  this  trembling  goes  to  my  heart.  I  shall  go  pretty 
soon. ' ' 

He  brought  me  a  picture  of  himself,  taken  ten  years 
ago. 

"  Please  let  me  have  it,"  I  said,  holding  it  in  my 
hand,  hoping  to  bring  it  away  with  me  for  further  use. 

"  No  ;  I'll  have  it  copied  for  you,"  he  answered, 
evidently  divining  my  meaning. 

"  You  know,"  I  continued,  "  you  are  and  will  be  re- 
membered ;  your  part  in  this  Spaulding  matter  makes 
you  known.  You  cannot  help  it,  and  the  world  may 
desire  to  see  how  you  look." 

He  had  grown  calmer,  but  this  speech  of  mine,  by 
which,  with  a  little  flattery,  I  had  hoped  to  gain  my 
object,  seemed  to  agitate  him  again  greatly,  and  he 
said  : 

"  No,  I  don't  care  to  be  known  at  all  ;  I  will  write  to 
you,  and  help  you  to  get  facts  about  Mormonism  ;  but 
I  don't  want  to  be  talked  about." 

Making  one  more  effort  to  get  at  the  truth,  I  said, 
very  earnestly  : 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Hurlburt,  it  all  lies  in  a  nutshell,  and  you 


70  NEW   LIGHT   OJf   MORMONISM. 

can  crack  it.  Do  you  think  Solomon  Spaulding  wrote 
the  story  from  which  the  Mormons  made  their  book  ?" 

"  Yes  ;  and  no  question  about  it." 

"  "Well,  then,  where  is  the  manuscript  ?" 

"  I  think  it  was  copied  by  Rigdon,  and  he  kept  the 
original,  and  Mrs.  Davison  had  the  copy'." 

"  But  Mrs.  McKinstry  has  sworn  that  her  mother  had 
what  her  father  knew  to  be  the  original ;  and  if  the  exact 
copy,  it  would  have  answered  Howe's  purpose." 

Hulburt  seemed  nonplussed  ;  he  remained  quiet,  as  if 
entirely  unable  or  unwilling  to  continue  the  argument, 
and  his  wife,  who  was  constantly  watching  him,  said, 
with  a  meaning  look  at  him  : 

"  Why,  don't  you  see  the  one  he  got  from  Mrs. 
Davison  wa'n't  no  good  ?" 

"  Why  did  he  not  return  it,  then  ?" 

"  Well,  Howe  said  he  would  ;  but  then  it  got  burned 
up." 

As  a  final  experiment,  I  said  : 

"  There  is  a  man  in  Illinois  who  is  said  to  have  the 
original  manuscript,  and  that  you,  Mr.  liurlburt,  sold  it 
to  him  with  the  promise  he  would  not  use  it  in  your 
lifetime. ' ' 

The  old  man  again  screamed  : 

"  'Tain't  so  ;  it  is  not  the,  original  one." 

Then,  seeming  to  see  that  he  had  somewhat  betrayed 
himself,  he  turned  to  Mr.  Kellogg  with  : 

"  You  said  you  knew  this  lady." 

"Yes,"  replied  Mr.  Kellogg,  "she  is  just  who  she 
represents  herself  to  be." 

"  Well,"  said  liurlburt,  turning  in  a  sort  of  a  defiant 
way  to  me,  "  if  I  talk  all  day  I  can't  tell  you  any  more  ; 
but  I'  11  write  to  you. ' ' 

The  interview  was  over  evidently.      Both  Mr.   and 


NEW   LIGHT  ON"   MORMONISJI.  71 

Mrs.  Hurlburt  asked  us  to  have  dinner,  and  the  old 
lady  urged  us  again  and  again  to  stay  over  night,  "  to 
talk  it  over  by  and  by."  I  have  since  deeply  regretted 
that  we  did  not  do  so,  as  it  has  occurred  to  me  that  she 
intended  in  some  way  to  give  me  information,  which  she 
dared  not  give  in  the  presence  of  her  husband  ;  but  the 
old  distrust  of  Hurlburt  which  Mrs.  Davison  had  was  so 
strong  within  me,  that  even  with  Mr.  Kellogg's  protec- 
tion, and  willingness  to  remain,  I  could  not  persuade 
myself  to  do  so. 

We  two  women  stood  a  little  apart,  and  she  said  : 

"  I'll  write  to  you  ;  give  me  your  address  ;  I'll  tell 
you  what  /  know. " 

After  thanking  her,  I  asked  if  she  was  Hurlburt's  only 
wife  when  he  was  a  Mormon.  A  little  flush  came  into 
her  pale  cheeks,  and  she  replied  : 

"  Well,  he  wa'n't  a  Mormon-  long  ;  and  I  was  his  first 
wife." 

We  had  no  further  chance  for  private  words  ;  and,  as 
Mr.  Kellogg  and  I  agreed  after  we  left  the  house,  Hurl- 
burt assumed  a  triumphant  expression  as  we  bade  them 
good-day.  We  further  agreed  in  the  impression  that 
certainly  they  had  well  feigned  a  part  they  were  so  unex- 
pectedly called  upon  to  act  ;  and  that  beyond  a  shadow 
of  doubt  Hurlburt,  after  getting  the  genuine  Spaulding 
romance  at  Munson,  destroyed  it  or  saw  it  destroyed  by 
the  Mormons  at  Conneaut,  in  1834,  after  his  being  paid 
for  his  share  of  this  transaction. 

I  may  add  that  it  has  been  told  me  that  the  general 
impression  at  the  time  of  this  sale  and  afterward,  which 
prevailed  in  the  minds  of  those  most  familiar  with  the 
subject  in  Ohio,  was  that  Hurlburt  became  a  Mormon 
with  the  intention  of  making  money,  and  that  his  mis- 
sion to  Munson  was  the  culmination  of  his  projects  in 


72  NEW   LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM. 

that  direction.  Hurlburt  sent  me  the  statement  he  prom- 
ised.   (No.  8,  in  the  Appendix.) 

The  reader  will  see  it  contradicts  several  of  his  verbal 
statements  made  in  his  own  house,  and  it  amounts,  in  fact, 
to  nothing,  being  a  studied  and  deliberate  affair  with 
which  he  hoped  to  satisfy  me  and  other  inquirers  on  the 
same  subject. 

INTERVIEW    WITH    E.   D.   HOWE. 

After  visiting  Hurlburt,  the  author  saw  E.  D.  Howe, 
at  Paineswille,  Ohio.  He  admitted  writing  the  letter 
shown  by  Hurlburt,  and  said  that  a  manuscript  was  given 
to  him  by  Hurlburt,  in  1834,  which  "  had  no  connection 
with  Mormonism." 

He  agreed  to  give  Hurlburt  five  hundred  copies  of  his 
book  ("  Mormonism  Unveiled"),  which  agreement  he 
kept,  and  that  was  the  last  he  ever  saw  of  him. 

The  manuscript  he  received  from  Hurlburt  he  said  was 
"lying  around"  his  printing-office  for  twenty  years; 
he  "  considered  it  of  no  account,  and  did  not  know  what 
became  of  it. " 

I  asked  if  he  did  not  agree  to  return  it  to  Mrs. 
Davison,  to  which  he  replied  : 

"  Perhaps  I  did  ;  but  it  wa'n't  of  no  account,  so  I  did 
not  think  of  it." 

"  You  used  it  in  your  '  Mormonism  Unveiled  '  ?" 

"  Well,  yes  ;  there  it  was  of  some  use." 

I  then  told  him  what  Hurlburt  had  said  of  Howe's 
connection  writh  the  matter. 

He  grew  very  red  in  the  face,  and  remarked  : 

"  Well,  Hurlburt  is  not  to  be  relied  on." 

I  asked  if  he  would  make  a  sworn  statement  that  the 
words  "  Mormon,  Maroni,  Nephi,  and  Lamenite"  were 


NEW    LIGHT   ON    HORMONISM.  73 

not  in  the  manuscript  which  Hurlburt  gave  him  by 
agreement. 

"No,  1  will  not  swear  to  it  ;  but  I'll  answer  ques- 
tions, and  my  word  is  as  good  as  Hurlburt's  any  day." 

"  You  ought,  for  your  own  sake,  to  make  a  statement 
to  answer  him." 

He  made  an  odd  reply. 

"  Hurlburt  was  always  an  unreliable  fellow  ;  he  went 
lecturing  in  this  neighborhood." 

"  Mr.  Howe,  did  you  send  Hurlburt  to  get  '  The 
Manuscript  Found '  ?" 

"  Yes,  I  did,  and  the  idea  was  proposed  to  me  by 
him." 

"Do  you  think  the  manuscript  was  burned  in  your 
office?" 

"I  don't  know  ;  it  got  lost,"  he  replied. 

"  The  whole  matter,  then,  is  between  you  and  Hurl- 
burt. Is  there  a  possibility  that  the  original  Spaulding 
manuscript  will  yet  come  to  light  ?" 

"  No,  I  don't  think  so,"  he  replied,  earnestly  ;  "  the 
Mormons  had  too  much  at  stake  to  let  it  exist." 

"  Then  you  think  Hurlburt  destroyed  it  ?" 

"  I  believe  he  had  two  manuscripts — the  original  one 
and  another — the  one  he  gave  me,  which  had  no  re- 
semblance to  the  '  Book  of  Mormon.' ' 

"Do  you  think  Spaulding  wrote  a  story  from  which 
Higdon  and  Smith  made  the  t  Book  of  Mormon  '  ?' ' 

"  Certainly  I  do,"  emphasizing  the  words. 

He  then  told  me  a  little  of  Rigdon's  life,  which  I  will 
hereafter  use.  Mr.  Howe  is  very  old — nearly  ninety — 
hut  certainly  of  sound  mind  and  memory  ;  and  although 
he  was  seemingly  agitated  during  our  conversation,  he 
was  not  more  so  than  such  an  unexpected  visit  would 
naturally  occasion  any  one  to  be  under  the  same  cir- 


74  NEW   LIGHT  ON  MORMONISM. 

cumstances ;  and  lie  carefully  considered  his  answers 
before  making  them.  An  unmistakable  expression  of 
relief  settled  upon  his  countenance  as  the  interview 
closed. 

Upon  making  an  inquiry  in  Painesville  as  to  the  char- 
acter of  the  author  of  "  Mormonism  Unveiled,"  nothing 
of  a  very  satisfactory  nature  was  elicited  from  several 
highly  respected  citizens  of  the  town.  At  best  it  was  to 
the  effect  that  Mr.  Howe  had  always  had  the  reputation 
of  being  a  sharp-witted,  shrewd  man,  and  that  his  declin- 
ing years  had  not  robbed  him  of  his  predominating 
qualities. 

A  clergyman  of  Painesville,  in  speaking  of  the  traces  that  Mormon- 
ism  had  left  in  that  vicinity,  remarked  that  "  timejlpnejwould  oblit- 
erate the  demoralization  that  had  followed  in  the  wake  of  the  Saints  ; 
that  whole  families  were  sceptics  in  religious  faith  who  had  been 
church  members  before  their  conversion  to  the  doctrines  advocated 
so  eloquently  by  Sidney  Rigdon  and  other  Mormon  preachers,  and 
•who  had  later  apostatized." 

A  very  remarkable  circumstance  occurred  to  the 
writer  on  the  day  following  the  interview  with  E.  D. 
Howe,  at  his  residence  in  Painesville.  At  midday,  on 
reaching  the  railway  station  with  the  intention  of  pro- 
ceeding to  Conneaut,  Ohio,  that  afternoon,  1  person- 
ally attended  to  checking  the  one  large  trunk  I  had 
with  me  at  the  time.  It  was  an  odd  trunk  as  to  its 
outward  appearance,  and  had  my  initials  distinctly 
printed  on  either  end.  As  it  was  a  way  train,  I  settled 
myself  as  comfortably  as  possible  by  a  window,  and 
was  reading  until  we  reached  the  next  station — in  fact, 
until  the  train  was  just  moving  on  ;  then,  by  chance  look- 
ing up,  I  was  amazed  to  see  my  trunk  being  wheeled 
away  on  a  truck  across  the  platform.  The  conductor 
was  standing  at  the  door  on  the  platform  of  the  car.  I 


NEW   LIGHT   ON"   J1ORMONISM.  75 

ran  to  him  and  shouted,  "  That  is  my  trunk  being  taken 
away  ;  do  stop  the  train  and  get  it  again  !" 

"  Your  trunk  !''  he  replied  ;  "  no,  it  cannot  be.  You 
ladies  always  fancy  your  luggage  is  lost,  or  carried  away, 
or  something." 

"  But  don't  you  see  it  is  not  like  other  trunks,  and  my 
initials,  E.  E.  D.,  are  on  it  ?  I  beg  you  at  least  to  stop 
the  train,  and  let  me  get  off. "  I  screamed  at  him,  greatly 
excited  at  my  helplessness  and  the  situation. 

But  the  train  moved  on,  and  the  conductor,  with  a  de- 
risive smile,  said  :  "  Now,  to  convince  you  of  your  mis- 
take, let  me  take  your  check,  and  I'll  soon  return  with 
the  baggage-master  to  prove  your  trunk  is  still  in  his 
care." 

I  gave  him  the  check,  knowing  how  futile  his  errand 
was.  After  some  twenty  minutes  or  more,  he  came  back 
with  another  man,  whom  he  said  was  the  baggage-master, 
and  between  them  they  admitted  that  my  trunk  had  been 
taken  from  the  train  ;  there  had  been  some  unusual  care- 
lessness, but  it  would  be  all  right ;  the  conductor  would 
send  a  telegram  from  the  next  station  to  have  it  sent  on. 
Both  men  seemed  annoyed  and  confused. 

"  When  will  my  trunk  reach  me  ?"  I  asked. 

"Well,"  said  the  conductor,  ".the  truth  is,  I've  got 
to  first  telegraph  to  Cleveland,  to  the  office  of  the  com- 
pany, and  then  an  order  will  be  sent  along  the  line  until 
it  is  found,  and  at  best  you  cannot  get  it  before  ten  o'clock 
to-night." 

This  was  not  very  reassuring.  At  the  second  station 
beyond  he  came  in,  showing  me  a  telegram  from  the 
station  where  the  trunk  was  taken  from  the  train.  It 
read  to  the  effect  that  such  a  trunk  was  there,  and  would 
be  detained  until  the  order  arrived  to  forward  it  to  Con- 
neaut.  Arriving  at  the  residence  of  Mr.  Henry  Luke, 


76  NEW  LIGHT  ON   MORMONISM. 

in  Conneaut,  and  telling  the  family  of  the  occurrence, 
they  considered  it  very  unusual — in  fact,  had  never  heard 
of  anything  like  it  before.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lake 
went  to  the  station  with  me  at  ten  o'clock,  and  the  trunk 
was  taken  from  the  train  on  its  arrival  at  that  hour.  My 
friends  insisted  that  both  the  station-master  and  bag- 
gage-master of  the  train  should  be  with  me  when  open- 
ing the  trunk,  to  see  if  its  contents  had  been  disturbed. 
The  lock,  a  good  sound  one,  I  found  had  been  forced 
open,  the  heavy  straps  alone  holding  it  together.  At  a 
glance,  on  lifting  the  cover,  it  was  evident  that  every- 
thing in  the  trunk  had  been  turned  over,  just  as  though 
its  contents  had  been  pulled  out  and  thrown  in  again  by 
hasty  and  inexperienced  hands.  A  later  investigation 
the  same  night  proved  that  not  one  single  item  had  been 
stolen,  although  there  were  valuable  articles  of  various 
descriptions  in  the  trunk.  My  papers  connected  with 
the  interview  with  HurTburt,  Howe,  and  General  Gar- 
field- — in  fact :,  all  the  notes  taken  in  this  trip  on  the  sub- 
ject of  Mormonism,  were  in  my  hand-satchel,  and  had 
heen  carefully  guarded.  On  writing  to  an  official  con- 
nected with  the  Lake  Shore  Railroad,  relating  all  the 
facts  of  the  case,  his  reply  was  to  the  effect  that  so  long 
as  nothing  had  been  stolen  from  the  trunk,  it  was  proof 
conclusive  that  the  breakage  of  the  lock  and  its  detention 
at  the  way  station  were  merely  accidental.  He  regretted 
the  circumstance,  but  was  of  the  opinion  that  there  was 
no  legal  redress  for  it. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

i  Visit  to  Conneaut,  Ohio,  in  1880—  Beminiscences  of  Kev.  Spaulding 
and  the  First  Mormon  Conference,  in  1834. 

IN  connection  with  the  visit  at  Mentor  and  Paines- 
ville,  after  the  interview  with  Hurlburt  at  Gibsonburg, 
the  author  stopped  at  Conneaut,  Ashtabula  Co.,  Ohio, 
where  the  Kev.  S.  Spaulding  resided,  in  1812,  and  wrote 
the  story  which  was  made  the  foundation  of  the  Mormon 
fraud.  Some  description  of  the  town  as  it  looks  to- 
day may  be  interesting  to  the  reader. 

Conneaut  is  also  interesting  in  its  connection  with  the 
first  great  conference  of  Mormons,  in  the  year  1834, 
when  Ilurlburt  was  sent  to  procure  "  The  Manuscript 
Found"  from  Mrs.  Davison,  at  Munson,  Mass.,  "to 
compare  it  with  the  '  Book  of  Mormon. ' ' 

The  village  of  Conneaut  is  a  mils  from  Conneaut  Sta- 
tion, on  the  Lake  Shore  Railroad.  It  is  the  county-seat, 
and  in  its  thrift  and  general  appearance  greatly  resembles 
a  New  England  town  of  the  best  type.  At  the  eastern 
side  of  the  village  is  the  broad  ravine  through  which  the 
Conneaut  River,  or  Creek,  flows  down  to  Lake  Erie, 
which  is  picturesque  and  beautiful. 

One  of  the  most  attractive  dwellings  in  the  place  is 
that  of  Mr.  Hiram  Lake,  son  of  Henry  Lake,  a  partner 
of  Solomon  and  John  Spaulding  in  1812. 

An  evening  at  Mr.  Lake's  residence  was  spent  in  hear- 
ing his  reminiscences  of  certain  circumstances  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Spauldings — many  facts  which  his  father 
had  related  to  him  of  the  writings  of  Mr.  Spaulding — and 


78  NEW    LIGHT   ON    MOR  MONISM. 

particularly  how  the  neighbors  gathered  to  hear  him  read 
the  novel  called  "  The  Manuscript  Found,"  and  how  the 
talk  of  the  hour  dwelt  on  the  discoveries  made  by  the 
workmen  employed  to  open  the  earth-mounds  close  to 
Mr.  Spaulding's  house.  The  very  spot  where  this  house 
once  stood  is  pointed  out — a  log  cabin,  containing  some 
relics  of  New  England  comforts,  and  the  best  dwelling 
in  the  vicinity  at  the  time. 

Its  owner,  it  is  said,  was  the  most  noted  and  probably 
the  best  educated  man  in  that  part  of  the  State.  There 
is  no  trace  of  this  primitive  homestead  now,  or  of  the 
earth-mound  close  to  it  ;  but  there  are  many  people  liv- 
ing in  Conneaut  who  remember  both. 

Just  below  this  locality,  and  close  to  the  creek,  was  the 
foundry  of  the  Spanieling  brothers  and  Mr.  Henry  Lake, 
which  was  so  prosperous  until  the  war  of  1812  made  its 
proprietors  bankrupt. 

There  were  formerly  a  number  of  earth-mounds  in 
the  vicinity  of  Conneaut,  all  of  which  have  been  levelled 
with  the  surrounding  fields  ;  but  numerous  evidences  of 
their  existence  and  locality  are  pointed  out  at  the  pres- 
ent time.  A  few  months  since  some  prehistoric  relics 
were  unearthed  by  a  ploughman  in  a  corn-field  where  it 
is  known  that  an  earth-mound  had  existed,  and  many 
persons  in  and  near  the  village  possess  pottery,  imple- 
ments of  iron,  carved  beads,  or  ornaments  of  personal 
adornment,  that  have  been  exhumed  in  turning  up  the 
soil  for  agricultural  purposes. 

Traditions  and  personal  remembrances  are  numerous 
among  the  elder  residents  of  Conneaut  of  the  great  Mor- 
mon Conference  held  in  that  place  in  1831.  Some 
traveller,  it  is  said,  in  that  year  brought  a  copy  of  the 
"  Book  of  Mormon"  to  Conneaut  soon  after  it  was  pub- 
lished, but  it  does  not  seem  to  have  created  much  gossip 


NEW   LIGHT   ON   MOKMONISiT.  79 

among  the  townspeople,  until  a  woman  preacher,  who 
had  been  recently  converted  to  Mormonism,  appointed  a 
public  meeting,  and  in  her  talk  made  copious  extracts 
from  it,  which  were  immediately  recognized  by  many 
persons  present,  particularly  by  John  Spaulding  (see  Ap- 
pendix, No.  13),  who  was  "  amazed  and  afflicted  that  his 
brother's  writings  should  have  been  perverted  for  such  a 
-wicked  purpose.' ' 

His  grief  found  vent  in  a  flood  of  tears,  and  he  arose 
on  the  spot  and  expressed  his  regretful  sentiments. 
Both  Mr.  Hiram  Lake  and  Mr.  Lorin  Gould,  whose 
statements  (see  Appendix,  No.  14)  will  be  found  else- 
where, told  the  author  they  remembered  this  occasion, 
and  some  incidents  in  connection  writh  it. 

They  also  said  that  at  the  time  of  this  Mormon  meet- 
ing there  was  the  wildest  possible  excitement  all  through 
that  part  of  the  State  in  regard  to  the  "  new  faith,"  as 
it  was  called. 

It  was  as  a  result  of  these  meetings  that  D.  P.  Hurl- 
burt,  who  had  resided  in  or  near  Conneaut,  and  whose 
reputation  was  not  the  best  for  veracity  or  honesty,  and 
who  at  the  time  had  joined  the  Mormons  with  his  wife 
(the  sweet-faced  woman  the  writer  saw  at  Gibsonburg), 
offered  or  was  selected  to  visit  Mrs.  Davison  at  Munson, 
Mass.,  and  to  request  a  loan  of  the  Spaulding  "  Manu- 
script Found,"  as  it  was  reported,  to  compare  it  with  the 
"  Book  of  Mormon." 

It  is  remembered  at  -Conneaut  that  he  returned  with  a 
manuscript,  or  that  was  so  reported.  This  is  presumably 
the  manuscript  which  E.  D.  Howe  says  was  lying  in  his 
office  at  Painesville  for  years,  and  which  the  Mormons 
pretend  was  compared  with  "  the  Golden  Bible  of 
Joseph,"  at  a  public  meeting  the  Mormons  called  for  the 


80  NEW'  LIGHT   ON    MORMONISJI. 

purpose,  and  found  to  be  entirely  wanting  in  the  essen- 
tials claimed  for  it. 

It  was  beyond  question,  from  very  strong  circumstan- 
tial evidence,  the  manufactured  manuscript  prepared  by 
ITurlburt  or  his  confederates  for  the  occasion.  A  daugh- 
ter of  Mr.  John  Spaulding,  still  living  near  Conneaut, 
in  a  letter  to  the  writer  (see  Appendix,  No.  15)  of  a  re- 
cent date,  substantiates  all  that. Mr.  Lake  and  Mr.  Gould 
stated  at  the  former  gentleman's  house. 

Of  the  odd  stories  told  at  Conneaut,  in  1834,  in  con- 
nection with  Solomon  Spaulding,  was  one  to  the  dfect 
that  he  told  his  neighbors  at  the  time  he  entertained 
them  with  his  romance,  that  his  '  ''Manuscript  Found  ' ' 
was  a  translation  of  the  "Book  of  Mormon  "  and  he  in- 
tended to  publish  a  fictitious  account  of  its  having  been 
discovered  in  a  "  cave  in  Ohio"  as  an  advertisement,  to 
advance  its  sale,  when  his  book  was  printed. 

The  remarkable  features  of  the  Mormon  meeting  at 
Conneaut,  in  1834,  and  the  conflicts  of  opinion  between 
the  converts  to  the  new  doctrines  there  promulgated,  and 
the  affirmations  of  the  old  neighbors  and  relatives  of 
Solomon  Spaulding,  led  to  the  venture  of  E.  D.  Howe 
in  writing  the  book  called  "  Mormonism  Unveiled." 

There  is  a  tradition  that  Mr.  Howe  was  himself  half  a 
Mormon  when  he  wrote  this  volume,  and  it  is  believed 
that  his  motive  in  writing  it  was  not  a  desire  to  expose 
an  imposture,  but  to  make  money. 

Another  outcome  of  this  meeting  at  Conneaut,  in  1834-, 
was  the  wild  enthusiasm  of  the  people,  who  travelled 
from  great  distances  to  see  the  "new  prophet/'  and 
from  it  "  elders,"  or  preachers,  were  sent  out  to  those 
who  could  not  attend. 

Stories  were  circulated  at  the  time  that  even  in  the 
then  remote  Xew  England  States  and  in  the  British 


NEW   LIGHT   OJf   MORMONISM.  81 

provinces  families  were  placing  their  all  in  wagons — the 
common  method  of  travelling  at  that  date — and  hastening 
to  join  the  ranks  of  the  "  Saints." 

How  long  the  Mormons  tarried  at  Conneaut  it  is  now 
impossible  to  state.  It  must  have  been  some  weeks, 
however,  as  in  the  interval  Hurlbnrt  visited  Mnnson, 
Mass.,  and  other  matters  of  importance  in  their  history 
eventuated  at  this  period  of  their  career. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

i 

The  Mormons  in  Missouri. 

WHEN  Joe  Smith  found  that  he  could  not  be  a  prophet 
of  repute  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and  after  he  and 
Sidney  Rigdon  had  witnessed  the  favor  with  which  their 
scheme  was  received  in  Ohio,  they  followed  Oliver  Cow- 
drey,  whom  they  had  sent  on  in  advance  to  the  State  of 
Missouri  to  look  for  a  fitting  locality  for  the  ISTew  Jeru- 
salem, and,  as  they  professed,  to  evangelize  the  Indians 
and  Gentiles  generally. 

Cowdrey's  report  of  Jackson  Co.,  Mo.,  was  so  favor- 
able that  these  two  founders  of  "a  religious  empire" 
directed  their  steps  thither,  under  the  most  discouraging 
difficulties  of  travel,  making  a  portion  of  the  distance  of 
over  three  hundred  miles  on  foot.  On  their  arrival  at 
Independence  they  were  so  enamored  of  the  country  that 
they  at  once  selected  it  as  the  place  for  the  New  Zion  ; 
and,  to  silence  all  cavil  among  his  followers,  Smith  had  a 
"  revelation,"  in  the  form  of  a  document,  which  is  among 
the  most  extraordinary  performances  of  this  remarkable 
man,  as  this  was  early  in  the  history  of  Mormonism,  and 
long  before  persecutions  and  dangers  had  sharpened  his 
faculties  by  a  ripe  experience.  It  commences  :  ' '  Hearken, 
oh  ye  elders  of  my  Church,  saith  the  Lord,  your  God, 
who  have  assembled  yourselves  together,  according  to  my 
commandments,  in  this  land  v/hich  1  have  appointed  and 
consecrated  for  the  gathering  of  the  Saints.  Behold  the 
place  which  is  called  Independence  is  the  centre  place, 


NEW   LIGHT   OK   MORMONISM.  83 

and  a  spot  for  the  Temple  is  lying  westward,  upon  a  lot 
which  is  not  far  from  the  Court  House  ;  wherefore,  it  is 
wisdom  that  the  land  should  be  purchased  by  the  Saints, 
and  also  every  track  lying  westward,  even  unto  the  line 
running  directly  between  Jew  and  Gentile." 

All  the  ceremony  it  was  possible  to  secure  under  the 
circumstances  was  given  to  the  occasion.  The  particular 
spot  chosen  as  a  site  for  the  Temple  was  named  iiA.dam- 
tnon  diamor,"  signifying  the  "  patriarchal  blessing." 

Here  Smith  said  the  Latter-Day  Saints  would  finally 
gather,  Christ  would  appear  in  person,  and  the  Mormons 
would  reign  a  glorious  and  triumphant  people  for  a  thou- 
sand years.*  With  a  business- like  purpose  worthy  of  the 
Prophet's  most  illustrious  pupil,  Brigham  Young,  Smith 
expressed  his  wishes,  appointed  a  storekeeper  and  other 
factotums,  including  Oliver  Cowdrey  as  assistant  editor 
of  a  newspaper  which  was  established  at  Independence, 
called  the  Morning  and  Evening  Star.  Elder  W. 
Phelps,  a  man  who  wrote  Smith's  political  papers  and 
distorted  several  languages  to  make  "  more  good  "  out  of 
the  word  "  Mormon,"  was  appointed  editor-in-chief. 

After  the  "  consecration"  and  these  business  matters 
were  arranged,  the  Prophet  and  Rigdon  returned  to 
Kirtland,  in  order,  as  they  said,  "  to  remain  five  years 
and  make  money." 

Meanwhile  during  these  five  years  the  Mormons  in- 
creased very  rapidly  in  Missouri,  settlements  being  made 
in  Clay,  Ray,  Jackson  and  Caldwell  counties  ;  and  with 
their  habitual  industry  and  thrift  they  made  homes  of 
comfort,  and  rapidly  gained  wealth. 

The  Kirtland  troubles,  long  threatened,  culminated  in 

*  Venerable  Mormons  in  Utah  have  recently  been  heard  to  give 
it  as  their  opinion  that  they,  with  other  Saints,  would  return  to  Zion, 
Independence,  Mo.,  for  ths  final  glorification  of  the  chosen  ones. 


8-i  NEW   LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM. 

1838,  when  Smith  and  Rigdon  again  made  a  journey  to 
Missouri,  pursued  at  first  by  creditors  and  afterward 
guided  by  a  ''revelation." 

It  was  on  this  particular  westward  march  that  the 
Prophet  first  organized  a  military  command  and  a  body- 
guard and  began  to  assume  the  prerogatives  of  his  high 
military,  as  well  as  spiritual,  mission.  He  had  two  hun- 
dred disciplined  men-at-arms  after  lie  reached  the  State 
line  of  Missouri  secretly,  his  "guard,"  a  fearful  band 
which  had  been  organized  as  "  destroying  angels,"  or 
"  Danites, "  whose  lawless  conduct  later  on  precipitated 
the  tragic  scenes  that  were  followed  by  the  expulsion  of 
the  Mormons  from  the  State.  These  "  Danites"  were 
sworn  "  to  put  out  of  sight"  all  persons  obnoxious  to  tlie 
"Saints;"  and  even  before  the  Prophet  arrived  from 
Kirtland  many  peaceable  residents  mysteriously  disap- 
peared— "  slipped  their  breath,"  to  use  a  favorite  ex- 
pression of  the  band. 

From  the  year  1833  the  Mormons  had  been  in  trouble 
in  Missouri.  While  their  general  cause  had  advanced, 
they  were  correspondingly  hated  by  their  neighbors. 
They  were  accused  of  every  sort  of  evil  and  of  secret 
crime,  and  yet  were  admitted  to  be  industrious. 

Such  was  the  situation  when  the  Prophet  came  to  rule 
over  his  followers  in  new  scenes  and  under  new  auspices. 
A  letter  was  written  a  short  time  before  his  arrival  by  a 
man  of  great  natural  intelligence,  Mr.  Ezra  Booth,  early 
a  local  Methodist  preacher  in  Ohio,  who  was  a  victim  to 
the  Mormon  imposture  in  Missouri. 

In  a  letter  to  the  Rev.  Ira  Eddy,  in  which  he  gives  an 
account  of  the  painful  experiences  which  revealed  its  in- 
iquities to  him,  he  says  :  "  When  I  embraced  Mormon- 
ism  I  sincerely  believed  it  to  be  of  God.  Like  a  ghost 
it  haunted  me  day  and  night,  until  I  was  mysteriously 


NEW   LIGHT   ON    MORMONISM.  85 

hurried,  as  it  were,  by  a  kind  of  necessity,  into  the 
vortex  of  delusion.  At  times  I  was  much  elated,  but 
generally  things  in  prospect  were  the  greatest  stimulus  to 
action.  On  our  arrival  in  Missouri  we  discovered  that 
prophecy  and  vision  had  failed,  or  rather  proved  false. 
Mr.  Rigdon  himself  said  that  '  Joseph's  vision  was  a  bad 
thing.'  I  do  not  regret  that  I  made  the  journey,  though 
I  regret  the  cause  of  it.  Since  my  return  (to  Kirtland) 
1  have  had  several  interviews  with  Smith,  Rigdon  and 
Cowdrey,  and  the  various  shifts  and  turns  to  which  they 
have  resorted  in  order  to  obviate  objections  and  dillicul- 
ties  proved  to  my  mind  additional  evidence  that  Mor- 
monism  was  nothing  else  than  a  deeply-laid  plan  of  craft 
and  deception." 

Soon  after  the  Prophet's  arrival  at  Independence  (and 
he  was  known  generally  to  have  become  wealthy,  and  a 
greater  braggart  than  ever)  dark  clouds  loomed  over  the 
horizon  of  the  Mormons.  The  causes  contributing  to 
their  expulsion  from  the  State  were  numerous.  The 
most  terrible  rumors  were  afloat  respecting  the  secret 
deeds  of  the  Danites,  and  they  had  acquired  so  much 
property  that  the  Missourians  resolved  that  they  should 
have  what  was  termed  "  the  rule  of  the  counties," 
through  their  numbers  and  property. 

The  Mormons  were  wont  to  boast  of  their  political 
ascendancy,  and  the  dislike  which  was  felt  toward  them 
from  the  iirst  deepened  into  an  intense  hatred.  Rigdon 
is  said  to  have  still  further  estranged  the  "  Gentiles" 
from  the  Saints  by  his  talk  and  overt  acts  at  this  time, 
and  soon  after  his  arrival  charged  both  Cowdrey  and 
David  Whitmer  with  being  connected  with  some  traitors 
to  Mormonism,  in  counterfeiting,  horse-stealing,  and  vil- 
lainies of  the  worst  description  ;  and  concluded  an  edito- 
rial in  the  Morning  and  Evenwrj  Star  against  them  with 


86  NEW   LIGHT   O 

this  sentence  :  "  Are  they  not  murderers  cat  heart  to  stir 
up  the  Missourians  against  us  by  their  slanders  ?' ' 

Smith's  power  after  he  was  driven  out  of  Ohio  seemed 
for  awhile  to  decline  ;  but  the  new  persecutions  in  the 
West  came  to  his  aid,  and  cemented  the  union  of  those 
who  were  still  his  friends.  A  large  number  had  left  the 
ranks,  and  were  anathematized  in  forcible  if  not  elegant 
language. 

The  Mormons  began  to  boast  of  the  "  intentions"  of 
their  prophet.  They  called  him  "  the  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  armies  of  Israel ;"  the  State  would  soon  be 
in  their  hands,  and  finally  the  whole  country  in  their 
possession.  The  facts  seemed  to  justify  this  braggadocio, 
as  the  whole  of  Jackson  County  was  theirs,  and  converts 
were  flocking  to  their  ranks  in  great  numbers.  A  public 
meeting  was,  however,  convened  at  Independence  by 
the  alarmed  and  excited  "Gentiles,"  which  resulted  in 
the  Mormons  being  driven  across  the  Missouri  River,  by 
an  infuriated  mob,  into  Clay  and  Cadwallader  counties, 
where  Smith  and  Rigdon  joined  them.  With  this  dis- 
persion the  other  Mormon  settlements  suddenly  devel- 
oped into  places  of  importance,  particularly  a  town  called 
"Far  West." 

The  Saints  had  received  a  lesson,  but  were  not  wise 
enough  to  heed  it.  Rigdon  became  very  violent,  and 
taught  them,  by  voice  and  by  pen,  that  they  must  expect 
to  fight  under  persecution.  In  a  Fourth  of  July  oration 
he  said  :  "  We  take  God  and  all  the  holy  angels  to  wit- 
ness this  day,  that  we  warn  all  men,  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ,  to  come  on  us  no  more  forever.  The  set  of  men 
who  does  it  makes  the  attempt  at  the  expense  of  their  lives. 
It  shall  he  a  war  of  extermination  between  us,  for  we 
will  follow  them  till  the  last  drop  of  Mood  is  spilled,  or 
else  they  will  have  to  exterminate  us.  We  will  carry  the 


NEW  LIGHT  ON   MORMONISM.  87 

seat  of  war  to  their  oivn  houses  and  families,  till  one 
party  or  the  other  is  utterly  destroyed." 

This  speech,  with  various  exaggerations,  was  reported 
and  commented  on  in  every  part  of  the  State,  and  even- 
tuated in  the  most  deadly  animosity  toward  the  vain- 
glorious Mormons.  While  Rigdon  thus  stirred  up  the 
people  by  talking  and  writing,  Smith  was  shaping  and 
moulding  the  rudest  materials  into  a  great  enthusiastic 
religious  power.  Mills,  workshops,  f arms,  and  industries 
of  many  kinds  sprang  up  in  the  wilderness  around  their 
temporary  resting-places  ;  and  even  with  all  the  warnings 
given  and  vexations  caused  them  by  their  enemies  of  a 
real  or  imaginary  character,  a  new  impetus  was  given  to 
their  confidence  in  the  Mormon  leaders,  everything  con- 
spiring to  make  them  twofold  more  the  children  of  the 
"new  faith." 

With  all  these  tragic  circumstances,  there  grew  into  a 
terrible  reality  one  of  those  wild  and  romantic  histories 
which  could  only  have  taken  shape  on  a  Western  fron- 
tier, and  which  was  developed  by  these  unusual  incidents 
and  by  the  vanity  and  egotistical  spirit  evinced  by  Mor- 
mon ism. 

To  complicate  affairs,  two  Mormons — Thomas  B.  Hyde 
and  Orson  Pratt — "  apostles,"  as  they  were  called,  made 
an  affidavit  before  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  Ray  County, 
to  the  effect  that  "  the  Mormons  have  a  company  among 
them  calling  themselves  '  Danites,'  who  ha^e  taken  an 
oath  to  support  the  head  of  the  church  in  all  things, 
whether  right  or  wrong  ;  that  the  design  of  Smith  is  to 
take  this  State,  and  he  professes  to  his  people  his  inten- 
tion of  taking  the  United  States,  and  ultimately  the  whole 
world  ;  that  this  is  the  belief  the  Prophet  inculcates, 
and  every  true  Mormon  believes  Smith's  prophecies 
superior  to  the  law  of  the  land. " 


88  .     NEW   LIGHT   ON   MORMONISJI. 

One  of  these  men  further  said  :  "I  heard  the  Prophet 
say  that  he  would  yet  tread  down  his  enemies  and  walk 
over  their  dead  bodies  ;  that  if  he  was  let  alone  he  would 
be  a  second  Mahomet  to  this  generation,  and  that  he 
would  make  it  one  lake  of  blood  from  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains to  the  Atlantic  Ocean. " 

Mutual  acts  of  plunder  and  retaliation  between  the 
Saints  and  Gentiles  became  frequent  and  terrible  in  their 
consequences,  as  they  naturally  would  under  such  pecul- 
iar and  threatening  circumstances  ;  and  "  trifles  light  as 
air"  brought  them  into  collision. 

The  Mormons  drove  their  opponents  in  many  instances 
from  their  immediate  vicinity,  burning  their  houses  and 
confiscating  their  property  ;  worse  than  all,  some  women 
and  children  were  driven  into  the  woods,  and  two  chil- 
dren were  born  of  homeless  mothers.  This  was  the 
crowning  event  that  fired  the  Missourians  into  a  war  of 
extermination  against  the  "  interloping  Mormons." 

A  company  of  militia  was  called  together  to  keep  the 
peace,  who  encamped  on  the  borders  of  a  small  stream  ; 
and  the  Mormons,  supposing  it  to  be  a  mob  ready  to  de- 
stroy their  possessions,  attacked  them,  killing  and  wound- 
ing many. 

Complaints  of  the  existing  seditions  were  quickly  car- 
ried to  Governor  Boggs,  who  immediately  ordered  out 
the  State  troops,  "  to  enforce  order  upon  all  citizens, 
even  if  it  was  found  necessary  to  exterminate  the  hateful 
and  obnoxious  Mormons,"  who  were  presumed  to  be  in 
the  wrong  and  the  fomenters  of  all  these  unhappy  cir- 
cumstances and  terrible  discords. 

A  fearful  drama,  followed  under  the  leadership  of 
"Major-General  Clark,"  U.  S.  A.,  who  is  described  as 
bein<*  as  rude  as  the  most  uncivilized  of  Mormons,  even 

o  * 

making  brutal  addresses  to  his  prisoners  while  they  were 


NEW   LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM.  89 

calling  on  the  name  of  "  the  unknown  God."  He  had 
"  discretionary  powers,"  however,  and  allowed  the  enemy 
to  withdraw  from  the  State,  and  could  take  their  lands  to 
pay  the  cost  of  the  war.  The  Mormon  property  thus 
confiscated  has  been  estimated  to  be  worth  nearly  two 
millions  of  dollars. 

Joseph  and  Ilyram  Smith,  with  Rigdon  and  other 
leaders,  were  arrested  and  placed  in  jail.  There  was  a 
court-martial  the  same  evening,  and  it  was  decided  to 
have  them  shot  the  next  morning  ;  but  in  consequence 
of  the  protest  of  General  Doniphan,  who  declared  that 
such  an  act  would  be  unlawful,  the  court  rescinded  its 
resolution. 

Rigdon  was  discharged,  but  with  their  leaders  in  jail 
the  Mormons  submitted  to  the  conditions  made,  and  pre- 
pared to  withdraw  from  the  State  into  Illinois,  where  the 
Prophet  and  his  fellow-captives  joined  them  after  break- 
ing from  prison  during  two  days  in  which  their  guard 
was  in  a  drunken  slumber. 

In  an  old  book  at  the  Astor  Library  there  is  a  comical 
representation  of  the  "  commander  of  the  armies  of 
Israel"  fleeing  on  horseback  from  the  Missouri  jail,  with 
a  companion  on  either  side  similarly  mounted. 

Twelve  thousand  Mormons  arrived  on  the  banks  of  the 
Mississippi  River  late  in  the  autumn  of  1838,  in  the  most 
unhappy  plight.  Their  houses  had  been  burned,  their 
fields  laid  waste,  and  they  were  nearly  or  quite  destitute 
of  every  personal  comfort.  Every  indignity  and  per- 
sonal insult  which  had  been  offered  to  the  Missourians  by 
the  Mormons  was  returned  with  interest,  and  so  terrible 
were  their  sufferings,  that  the  hearts  of  the  Illinois  citi- 
zens were  so  touched  by  their  distress  that  they  received 
with  hospitality  those  who  had  travelled  over  the  bleak 
prairies  amid  storms  of  wind  and  rain  and  snow. 


90  NEW   LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM. 

The  aged,  the  young,  and  the  sick  had  been  alike 
houseless  and  homeless  in  the  most  inclement  season  of 
the  year.  Many  who  had  left  homes  of  abundance  died 
from  exposure  to  the  pitiless  elements.  These  were  the 
victims  of  the  men  who  had  led  them  into  the  snares  of 
a  false  religion. 

A  Mormon  historian  of  these  "  persecutions  of  the 
Saints"  tells  how  twenty  of  them,  sleeping  in  a  log  cabin 
by  the  wayside,  in  this  flight  to  Illinois,  were  shot  dead 
through  the  crevices,  and  after  the  massacre  was  over  a 
boy  who  had  been  concealed  was  dragged  out  from  his 
hiding-place  under  a  forge  and  shot,  while  his  murderers 
danced  about  him.  This  historian  further  writes  (after 
relating  a  number  of  such  instances  of  Gentile  cruelty)  : 
".We  may  forgive  •  but  to  forget  —never  /" 

The  Illinoisians  who  opened  their  doors  to  the  invad- 
ing Mormons  excused  their  hospitality  by  saying  that 
matters  had  been  carried  too  far  against  them,  whatever 
provocation  they  had  given,  and  gave  them  shelter,  food, 
and  clothing.  A  Mormon  poet  wrote  in  connection  with 

the  times  : 

"Missouri, 

Like  a  whirlwind  in  her  fury, 
Drove  the  Saints  and  spilled  their  blood." 

Under  such  trying  and  tragic  events  the  faith  of  many 
of  the  Mormons  succumbed.  A  most  significant  fact  to 
a  large  number  was  that  their  Zion  had  not  "been  built  at 
Independence. 

They  had  lost  all  their  property,  and  even  their  health 
had  deeply  suffered,  and  were  ready  to  abandon  the  f  aith 
and  return  forlornly  to  their  former  homes  in  the  Eastern 
States.  Some  left  temporarily,  some  altogether,  and  re- 
mained in  Missouri,  wrecked  in  religious  belief  and  hope 
of  any  kind.  A  large  number  of  these  destitute  Mor- 


NEW   LIGHT   OK   MOEMOXISM.  01 

mons  found  their  way  to  Quincy,  111.,  where  public 
meetings  were  held  and  measures  adopted  for  their  ben- 
efit ;  and  of  these  some,  on  a  return  of  prosperity,  joined 
the  Mormons  at  Nauvoo. 

While  the  Saints  were  at  Independence  a  "  Book  of 
Commandments,"  for  the  government  of  the  Church  of 
Christ,  organized  according  to  law,  on  the  6th  of  April, 
1830,  was  partly  written,  but  not  published,  as  the  fol- 
lowing extract  will  show  : 

A  "  Book  of  Commandments,"  for  the  government  of  the  Church 
of  Christ,  organized  according  to  law,  on  the  6th  of  April,  1830.  32nio, 
pp.  160,  boards,  Zion,  Published  by  W.  W.  Phelps  &  Co.,  1833. 

This  book  was  never  published,  nor  even  completed.  Only  two 
copies  are  known.  The  sheets  were  destroyed  by  a  Missouri 
mob.  People  who  know  just  enough  of  Mormonisin  to  call  the 
"  Book  of  Mormon"  the  "  Mormon  Bible" — to  think  they  know  that 
it  was  written  by  Solomon  Spaulding,  and  stolen  from  a  Pittsburg 
printing-office  by  Sidney  Bigdon,  and  handed  over  by  him  to  Prophet 
Joe  — and  who  measured  the  evils  of  Mormonism  only  by  the  number 
of  defections  from  their  own  particular  sect — and  I  have  never  con- 
versed with  an  anti-Mormon,  other  than  an  apostate,  whose  knowl- 
edge or  interest  extended  much  farther — will  read  with  distrust  or 
indifference,  if  they  read  at  all,  the  assertion  which  I  unhesitatingly 
make,  that  this  book,  if  valued  by  its  importance,  would  bring  a 
larger  price  than  was  ever  paid  for  a  single  volume.  People  who 
think  they  know  all  about  it,  suppose  the  "  Book  of  Mormon"  to  be 
to  Mormonism  what  the  Bible  is  to  Christianity.  Nothing  could  be 
farther  from  the  fact.  Mr.  Stenhouse,  who  was  for  many  years  one 
of  their  leading  men,  and  probably  the  most  intelligent  man  that  they 
ever  had  among  them,  once  told  me  that  he  never  read  the  "  Book  of 
Mormon' '  through  in  his  life,  and  that  he  did  not  believe  anybody 
else  ever  did. 

In  a  roundabout  manner,  not  a  peculiarity  of  Mormons,  but  a  char- 
acteristic of  churchmen,  the  Mormons,  in  their  articles  of  belief,  say, 
and  the  elders  never  tire  of  repeating,  that  they  believe  in  the  Bible, 
the  "Book  of  Mormon,"  and  the  "Book  of  Doctrine  and  Cove- 
nants." To  know  their  crooked  ways,  which,  I  repeat,  are  not  pecul- 
iar to  themselves,  is  to  know  that  they  would  place  the  book  which 
they  attach  the  least  importance  to  in  the  front  rank,  and  that  which 


92  NEW   LIGHT   ON   MOKMONISM. 

they  regard  as  most  important  in  the  rear.  This  they  -would  be  cer- 
tain to  do,  and  this  they  have  always  done.  As  the  "  Book  of  Com- 
mandments" is  really  the  first  edition  of  the  "  Book  of  Doctrine  and 
Covenants,"  one  must  be  made  acquainted  with  the  general  character 
and  standing  of  the  book  before  he  can  understand  the  special  im- 
portance attaching  to  this  edition.  In  short — for  I  do  not  propose  to 
write  a  treatise  upon  Mormonism,  lest  from  lack  of  literary  ability  I 
should  make  as  miserable  a  failure  as  most  writers  have  made  from 
ignorance  of  the  subject — the  book  is  composed  of  what  purport  to 
be  "revelations"  straight  from  God  to  Prophet  Joe  !  Professor  J.  B. 
Turner,  one  of  the  best-informed  of  the  anti-Mormon  writers, 
says  of  the  "  Book  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants"  :  "  It  has  really 
exerted  a  thousand-fold  more  influence  on  the  doctrines  and  des- 
tinies of  the  Mormon  Church  than  all  other  books  put  together,  still 
it  is  usually  kept  in  the  background,  and  the  '  Book  of  Mormon  ' 
thrown  forward  as  their  main  authority,  next  after  the  Bible."  This 
is  perhaps  plain  enough  ;  but  in  view  of  the  fact  that  among  all  classes 
of  people  less  is  known  of  Mormonism  than  of  the  sea-serpent,  I  will 
add,  in  my  own  plainer  if  not  stronger  words,  that  the  "  Book  of 
Doctrine  and  Covenants"  is  tho  whole  of  Mormonism.  Counting 
deaths  and  defections,  not  less  than  half  a  million  people  (mostly 
fools,  as  Carlyle  said  of  the  population  of  the  British  Islands)  have 
been  bamboozled,  first  into  a  belief  that  God  is  the  Author  of  the 
miserable  trash,  and,  as  necessary  correlatives,  that  the  Mormons  are 
the  Saints,  and  hell  the  portion  of  all  others.  During  forty-five  of 
the  fifty  years  of  Mormonism,  from  the  moment  the  ' '  Book  of  Doc- 
trine and  Covenants"  was  issued  in  1835,  there  has  existed  in  the 
"  Book  of  Commandments"  proof  of  the  very  kind  which  the  circum- 
stances seemed  to  demand — i.e.,  proof,  plain  and  convincing,  to  the 
meanest  understanding,  of  the  fraudulent  character  of  both  versions. 
The  proposition  could  hardly  obtain  credence,  even  among  the  kind 
of  timber  from  which  Mormons  are  made,  that  an  All-wise  Being 
could,  in  one  hundred  and  sixty  pages  32mo,  make  so  many  blunders 
as  have  been  corrected— if  the  alterations  maybe  called  corrections — 
in  the  next  following  and  first  known  edition  of  these  precious  "  rev- 
elations." 

"  When  Joe  was  getting  up  the  '  Book  of  Mormon '  he  loaned  a 
portion  of  the  manuscript  to  Martin  Harris,  the  man  who  was  fool 
enough  to  pay  for  printing  it.  .Mrs.  Harris  got  hold  of  it  and  secretly 
burned  it.  Joe,  who,  being  fearful  that  Mrs.  Harris  had  not  de- 
stroyed it,  but  still  had  it  in  her  possession,  dared  not  go  through 
with  the  farce  of  pretending  to  re-translate  it,  lest  Mrs.  H.  should 


NEW   LIGHT   ON    MORMONISM.  93 

upsefc  his  pretensions  by  printing  his  first  version,  which  he  knew  ha 
could  not  make  his  second  version  conform  to,  left  it  out  altogether, 
and  commenced  his  book  where  the  lost  portion  ended  ;  and  so  much 
was  forever  lost  to  religion.  On  that  occasion  he  made  a  mistake  by 
over-caution.  When,  under  somewhat  similar  circumstances,  he  was 
again  called  upon  to  act,  he  made  a  still  worse  mistake  by  taking  the 
opposite  course.  One  day,  while  this  edition  was  being  printed  at 
what  is  now  Independence,  Mo.,  the  anti-Mormon  border  ruffians 
pounced  upon  '  Zion,'  as  the  Mormons  called  their  settlement,  and 
in  next  to  DO  time  their  two-story  brick  printing-office,  with  all  that 
it  contained— building,  press,  type,  sheets,  paper  and  all — were  con- 
verted into  a  mass  of  ruins,  and  the  Saints  were  running  away  with 
nothing  but  their  lives.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  Joe  and  his 
lieutenants  felt  confident  that  not  a  copy  of  the  sheets  had  been  pre- 
served. When,  in  1835,  the  book  was  first  given  to  a  wicked  world, 
two  years'  experience  had  enabled  Joe  to  make  numerous  amend- 
ments. In  some  cases  he  modified  or  curtailed  his  revelations  ;  in 
some  cases  they  are  considerably  amplified  ;  but  in  all  cases  the 
actions  are  made  to  meet  the  requirements  of  1835.  That  Joe  was 
shameless,  audacious,  brazen-faced,  and  would  not  have  risked  these 
alterations  had  he  not  felt  very  certain  that  every  printed  copy  of  the 
original  version  had  been  destroyed,  is  proved  to  the  satisfaction  of 
people  of  ordinary  intelligence  by  his  conduct  in  relation  to  the  lost 
translation  of  the  manuscript  of  the  '  Book  of  Mormon  ;'  but  what 
renders  the  conclusion  absolutely  inevitable  is  the  fact  that  after  the 
revelations  were  actually  published  beyond  recall  they  were  never 
again,  even  in  the  slightest  degree,  subjected  to  the  Almighty  re- 
vision." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  Mormons  at  Nauvoo — Description  of  the  Temple — The  Death  of 
the  Prophet. 

JOSEPH  SMITH  was  now  approaching  the  zenith  of  his 
fame  and  power.  He  had  arrived  in  Illinois  from  his 
imprisonment  in  Missouri,  so  far  the  darkest  period  of 
his  history.  The  injustice  with  which  he  and  his  people 
(as  it  was  at  the  time  generally  considered)  had  beon 
treated  served  to  awaken  pity  in  their  behalf. 

The  Prophet's  prospects  at  once  brightened  when  Dr. 
Isaac  Gallard,  a  notorious  character,  presented  a  part  of 
a  large  tract  of  land  to  him  in  Carthage  County,  with  a 
view  of  making  a  market  for  the  remainder. 

Immediately  Joseph  had  a  "  revelation"  that  this  was 
the  "  centre  spot,"  and  he  commanded  the  Saints  to  as- 
semble there  to  build  a  city,  a  temple,  etc.  The  city, 
the  angel  told  him,  was  to  be  called  "  Nauvoo,"  which, 
he  said,  means  "  the  Beautiful."  It  is  located  on  the 
east  bank  of  the  Mississippi  River,  forty  miles  above 
Quincy,  111.,  and  twenty  miles  west  of  Burlington,  Iowa, 
at  a  bend  of  the  river,  on  rising  ground,  commanding  a 
magnificent  view  of  the  "  Father  of  "Waters"  for  many 
miles. 

The  land  given  to  Joseph  was  divided  into  lots  and 
sold  to  the  Mormons,  by  which  he  realized  over  one 
million  of  dollars.  The  Saints  from  all  quarters  re- 
sponded to  the  call  to  hasten  to  the  new  city,  and  it  im- 
mediately grew  into  importance. 

Fifteen  years  before  Smith  had  been  known  as  a  com- 


NEW  LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM.  95 

raon  vagrant  ;  now  he  was  known  as  a  mayor,  a  pontiff, 
and  as  a  very  rich  man,  the  legislature  having  granted 
the  city  a  charter  with  extraordinary  privileges,  includ- 
ing the  authorization  of  a  military  body,  afterward 
known  as  the  "  Kauvoo  Legion,"  of  which  he  was  the 
lieutenant-general — a  corps  to  which  all  the  male  Mor- 
mons capable  of  bearing  arms  belonged. 

Nauvoo  became  the  capital  of  the  world  to  the  Mor- 
mons, and  attracted  general  attention.  This  new  "  ever- 
lasting residence"  of  the  Saints  was  changed  from  a  des- 
ert into  an  abode  of  plenty  and  luxury.  Gardens  sprang 
up  as  if  by  magic,  plethoric  with  the  most  beautiful 
flowers  of  the  New  and  the  Old  World,  whose  seeds  had 
been  brought  from  distant  lands  as  souvenirs  to  the  new 
"  Zion  ;"  broad  streets  were  laid  out,  houses  erected,  and 
the  busy  hum  of  industries  was  heard  in  the  marts  of 
commerce.  Steamboats  unloaded  their  stores,  and  pas- 
sengers came  and  departed  for  fresh  supplies  of  merchan- 
dise ;  fields  waved  with  golden  harvests,  and  cattle  dotted 
the  neighboring  hills.  The  new  settlement  was  increased 
by  horse -thieves,  house-breakers,  robbers,  and  people  of 
the  most  disreputable  character,  who  joined  the  commu- 
nity to  cloak  their  villainous  deeds  in  mystery.  Specu- 
lators, too,  came  and  bought  property  with  the  hope  of 
remuneration.  Some  of  these  people  were  baptized,  but 
being  unwilling  to  pay  full  tithes,  were  "  ousted  "  from 
the  ranks,  which  were  again  quickly  filled. 

An  intelligent  officer  of  the  United  States  Army,  who 
visited  Nauvoo  in  the  height  of  its  prosperity,  gives  an 
account  of  the  city  and  its  institutions  as  he  saw  them  at 
this  time  :  ' '  Yesterday, ' '  he  says,  ' '  was  a  great  day 
among  the  Mormons.  Their  legion,  to  the  number  of 
two  thousand  men,  were  paraded  by  Generals  Smith, 
Bennett,  and  others,  and  certainly  made  a  very  fine  ap- 


96  NEW   LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM. 

pearance.  The  evolutions  of  the  troops  directed  by  Major- 
General  Bennett  would  do  credit  to  any  body  of  armed 
militia. 

"  What  does  all  this  mean  ?  "Why  this  exact  disci- 
pline of  the  Mormon  corps  ?  Do  they  intend  to  conquer 
Missouri,  Illinois,  or  Mexico  ? 

"  Before  many  years  this  legion  will  be  fifty  thousand 
strong — a  fearful  host,  and  still  augmenting,  filled  with 
religious  enthusiasm,  and  led  on  by  ambitious  and  tal- 
ented officers,  and  what  may  not  be  effected  by  them  ? 
These  Mormons  are  accumulating  like  a  snow-ball  rolling 
down  an  inclined  piano,  which  in  the  end  becomes  an 
avalanche.  They  have  appointed  Captain  Bennett,  late 
of  the  United  States  Army,  their  inspector-general,  and 
he  is  commissioned  as  such  by  Governor  Curtin.  This 
gentleman  is  skilled  in  gunnery,  fortification,  ordnance 
and  military  engineering  generally,  and  I  am  told  he  is 
now  under  pay  from  the  tithings  of  this  warlike  people. 
I  have  seen  his  plans  for  fortifying  Nauvoo,  which  are 
equal  to  any  of  Tartan's. 

"  Only  a  part  of  their  officers  are  Mormons,  but  they 
act  with  a  common  interest,  and  those  who  are  not  Mor- 
mons when  they  come  here  soon  become  so,  from  interest 
or  conviction.  The  Smiths  are  not  without  talent,  and 
are  said  to  be  brave  as  lions.  Joseph,  the  chief,  is  a 
noble-looking  fellow — a  Mahomet,  every  inch  of  him. 

"  The  postmaster,  Sidney  Kigdon,  is  a  lawyer,  philos- 
opher, and  Saint.  Their  other  generals  are  men  of  talent, 
and  some  of  them  men  of  learning.  They  are  all  un- 
questionably ambitious,  and  the  tendency  of  their  relig- 
ious creed  is  to  annihilate  all  other  creeds  ;  you  may 
therefore  see  that  the  time  will  come  when  this  gather- 
ing host  of  religious  fanatics  will  make  the  country  shake 
to  its  centre.  A  Western  empire  is  certain  ;  ecclesiastical 


NEW   LIG11T   ON   MOKMONISiT.  97 

history  presents  no  parallel  to  tliis  people,  inasmuch  as 
they  are  establishing  their  religion  on  a  learned  footing. 
A  graduate  of  Trinity  College,  Dublin,  is  president  of 
their  university. 

"  The  military  parade  astonished  me  and  filled  me 
with  fears  for  future  consequences.  The  Mormons,  it  is 
true,  are  now  peaceable  ;  but  the  lion  is  asleep — tako 
care,  don't  arouse  him. 

"  This  place  has  been  settled  only  three  years.  It  is 
well  laid  out,  and  seems  to  be  well  governed.  The  adjoin- 
ing country  is  beautiful — a  rolling  prairie  ;  Nauvoo  con- 
tains ten  thousand  people,  and  in  and  near  this  city  are 
thirty  thousand  of  these  warlike  fanatics,  an  incorporated 
army,  to  whom  the  arms  of  the  State  have  been  loaned  ; 
and  of  this  army  a  company  has  been  selected  to  build 
the  Mormon  Temple,  the  site  of  which  has  been  selected. 
I  am  told  that  all  the  converts  of  Mormonism,  here  and 
elsewhere,  at  this  time  number  one  hundred  arid  fifty 
thousand." 

From  this  statement  it  is  obvious  that  the  Saints  were 
again  prosperous  some  three  years  after  their  expulsion 
from  Missouri.  ISTot  only  was  the  site  of  the  temple 
chosen,  but  a  hotel  was  built,  where  certain  of  the  leaders 
were  to  be  entertained,  "  free  of  expense,  forever." 

Conferences  were  held  semi-annually,  and  missionaries 
were  appointed  to  Palestine,  Africa,  and  Europe,  and  to 
each  Congressional  district  in  the  United  States.  The 
best  educated,  the  most  inquiring  and  restive  ones,  were 
sent  on  these  errands  in  order  to  give  them  a  chance  to 
let  off  the  steam  of  discontent.  They  were  sent  with  all 
the  promptness  of  military  orders,  with  a  three  days' 
notice  for  an  absence  of  three  years  from  home  and 
family,  which  were  cared  for  by  the  presidency  and 
bishops.  Three  hundred  missionaries  were  appointed  at 


98  NEW    LIGHT   ON   MOKMONISM. 

one  of  these  conferences.  Previous  to  starting  they 
received  orders  from  Joseph,  who  preached  a  rousing 
sermon  to  them  that  stimulated  their  pride  of  conquering 
difficulties,  without  scrip  or  purse  ;  the  main  point  was 
that  "  spiritual  wifehood"  was  to  be  most  pointedly  de- 
nied ;  and  that  they  should  teach  that  one  man  was  to 
live  with  one  woman  "in  chaste  fidelity."  He  told 
them  to  buckle  on  the  armor,  "  to  confound  the  wise  and 
unwise,"  etc.,  thus  enlisting  their  pride,  which  was  the 
sure  way  to  make  full  Mormons  of  the  wavering. 

At  this  time  (1842)  the  Mormons  boasted  of  having  a 
hundred  thousand  in  the  faith  throughout  the  States, 
and  their  vote  was  a  balancing  power.  They  would  go 
in  a  body  in  all  political  questions.  The  Prophet  com- 
menced to  agitate  the  question  of  a  restitution  of  the 
property  the  Saints  had  lost  in  Missouri.  He  visited 
"Washington,  had  an  interview  with  President  Yan 
Buren,  who  said  to  him  :  "  Sir,  your  cause  is  just,  but  I 
can  do  nothing  for  you."  In  view  of  the  approaching 
Presidential  election  of  1844,  letters  on  the  subject  of 
the  Mormons'  alleged  wrongs  were  addressed  to  promi- 
nent candidates,  which  elicited  answers  not  at  all  agree- 
able to  the  Saints. 

In  1843  the  Prophet  wrote  to  Henry  Clay,  who  was 
supposed  to  have  a  good  chance  to  be  elected  to  the 
Presidency,  to  know  what  course  he  would  pursue  toward 
the  Mormons  if  he  were  successful.  The  correspondence 
was  characteristic  of  both  parties.  Smith's  letter  was  to 
the  following  effect  : 

"  NAUVOO,  ILL.,  November  4,  1843. 
"  HON.   HENRY  CLAY: 

"  DEAR  SIR  :  As  we  understand  you  are  a  candidate 
for  the  Presidency  of  the  next  election,  and  as  the  Lat- 


NEW   LIGHT   ON"    MORMOXISM.  99 

ter-Daj  Saints  (sometimes  called  Mormons),  who  now 
constitute  a  numerous  class  in  the  school  politic  of  this 
vast  Republic,  who  have  been  robbed  of  an  immense 
amount  of  property  and  endured  nameless  sufferings  by 
the  State  of  Missouri,  and  from  her  borders  have  been 
driven  by  force  of  arms,  contrary  to  our  natural  cove- 
nants, and  as  in  vain  we  have  sought  redress  by  all  con- 
stitutional, legal,  arid  honorable  means  in  her  courts,  her 
executive  councils,  and  her  legislative  halls,  and  as  we 
petitioned  Congress  to  take  cognizance  of  our  sufferings 
without  effect,  we  have  judged  it  wisdom  to  address  this 
communication  to  you  and  solicit  an  immediate,  specific, 
and  candid  reply  to  what  your  rule  of  action  relative  to 
us  will  be  as  a  people,  should  fortune  favor  your  acces- 
sion to  the  Chief  Magistracy. 

' '  Most  respectfully,  sir,  your  friend,  and  the  friend 
of  peace  and  good  order  and  Congressional  rights, 

"  JOSEPH  SMITH." 

Mr.  Clay  responded  as  follows  : 

"  DEAE  SEE  :  I  have  received  your  letter  in  behalf  of 
the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ,  of  the  Latter-Day  Saints, 
inquiring  what  would  be  my  rule  of  action  to  you  as  a 
people  should  I  be  elected,  etc.  Should  I  be  a  candi- 
date, 1  can  enter  into  no  engagements,  make  no  prom- 
ises, give  no  pledges  to  any  particular  portion  of  the 
people  of  the  United  States.  1  have  viewed  with  lively 
interest  the  progress  of  the  Latter-Day  Saints.  I  have 
sympathized  in  their  sufferings,  under  injustice,  as  it 
appeared  to  me.  I  think,  in  common  with  all  other 
religious  communities,  they  ought  to  enjoy  the  security 
and  protection  of  the  Constitution  and  the  laws.  I  am, 
with  great  respect, 

"  Your  friend, 

"HENRY  CLAY." 


100  NEW    LIGHT   ON    MORMOXISM. 

Mr.  Clay's  reply  was  very  unsatisfactory  to  the  Prophet, 
who  wrote  him  a  second  letter  which  received  a  still 
more  unsatisfactory  reply.  He  wrote  an  angry  rejoinder, 
calling  Mr.  Clay  "a  blackleg  in  politics."  The  letter 
shows  the  shrewdness  and  talent  of  the  man.  The  follow- 
ing is  an  extract  from  it  : 

"  The  renowned  Secretary  of  State,  the  ignoble  duel- 
ist, the  gambling  Senator  and  Whig  candidate  for  the 
Presidency,  Henry  Clay,  the  wise  Kentucky  lawyer,  ad- 
vises the  Latter-Day  Saints  to  go  to  Oregon,  to  obtain 
justice,  and  set  up  a  government  of  their  own.  Why  ? 
Great  God,  to  transport  two  hundred  thousand  people 
through  a  vast  prairie  over  the  Rocky  Mountains  to 
Oregon — a  distance  of  nearly  two  thousand  miles — would 
cost  more  than  four  millions  ;  or  should  they  go  around 
Cape  Horn  in  ships  to  California,  the  cost  would  be  more 
than  twenty  millions  ;  and  all  this  to  save  the  United 
States  from  inheriting  the  disgrace  of  Missouri  for  mur- 
dering and  robbing  the  Saints  with  impunity.  Benton 
and  Tan  Buren,  who  make  no  secret  to  say,  if  they  get 
into  power  they  will  carry  out  (Governor)  Boggs's  ex- 
terminating plan  to  rid  the  country  of  the  Latter-Day 
Saints,  are 

'  Little  nipperkins  of  milk ' 

compared  to 

'  Clay's  great  aqua-fortis  jars.'  " 

Then  Smith  set  forth  his  "  views  on  government,"  ad- 
vocated a  national  bank,  denounced  punishment  for 
desertion  in  the  army  and  navy,  would  pardon  every 
convict  in  the  penitentiaries,  curtail  government  offices 
and  pay,  reduce  the  number  of  representatives,  and 
would  harmonize  everything  by  declaring  all  men  free 
to  try  "  honesty  and  care"  in  their  dealings,  and  become 


NEW    LIGHT   ON    1IORMONISM.  101 

a  brotherhood.  Joseph  was  put  in  nomination  for  the 
Presidency,  and  the  Mormons  have  always  declared  that 
if  he  had  lived  until  the  next  election  he  would  have  ob- 
tained that  office.  He  was  called  "  The  Lion  of  the 
Lord  "  at  this  time,  from  his  bold  spirit  and  great  bravery 
and  power  among  his  followers.  A  daughter  of  Joseph's 
at  this  time  said  to  a  young  woman  just  arrived  at 
Nauvoo  : 

"  If  we  all  do  as  father  directs  us,  we  shall  be  able  to 
conquer  the  whole  world.  The  President  of  the  United 
States  will  be  glad  to  black  father's  boots  when  the  thou- 
sand years  of  our  reign  upon  earth  commences,  and  that 
time  will  come  before  long." 

THE    MOEMON    TEMPLE    AT    NATJVOO. 

On  April  6th,  1841,  the  foundation  of  the  remarkable 
building  at  Nauvoo,  called  the  Mormon  Temple,  was 
laid  by  General  Joseph  Smith,  who  appeared  for  the 
purpose  at  the  head  of  his  legion,  surrounded  by  a 
numerous  staff.  Soon  after  the  city  of  Nauvoo  had  been 
laid  out  the  selection  was  made  for  this  crowning  tri- 
umph of  the  wealth  and  perseverance  of  the  Saints,  on 
the  brow  of  a  bluff  overlooking  the  lower  town  on  the 
river  and  a  wide  stretch  of  country  on  either  side. 

The  design  of  the  temple,  Smith  said,  was  given  to 
him  by  the  angel  "  Maroni,"  who  explained  all  the  de- 
tails of  the  building  to  him.  This  "  Maroni"  was  the 
angel  who  gave  him  (as  he  said)  the  precious  box  con- 
taining the  golden  plates.  However,  he  employed  a 
Gentile  architect,  who  drafted  it  by  dictation.  All  the 
Saints  were  called  upon  to  contribute  to  its  erection  by 
time  and  money. 

The    building,    which    was   of    white   limestone   and 


102  NEW   LIGHT   OJT   MORMOXISM. 

wrought  in  superior  style,  was  in  the  centre  of  a  four- 
acre  lot.  It  was  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  feet  long 
by  eighty-three  feet  in  width,  and  sixty  feet  in  height. 
There  were  two  stories  in  the  clear  and  two  in  the 
recesses  over  the  arches,  making  four  tiers  of  windows- 
two  Gothic  and  two  round.  The  two  lofty  stories  had 
two  pulpits,  one  ab  each  end,  to  accommodate  the  Mel- 
chisedec  and  Aaronic  priesthood,  graded  into  four  rising 
seats  :  the  first  for  the  president  of  the  elders  and  his  two 
counsellors  ;  the  second,  for  the  president  of  the  high- 
priesthood  and  his  two  counsellors  ;  the  third  for  the 
Melchisedec  priesthood  and  his  two  counsellors  ;  and  the 
fourth  for  the  president  of  the  whole  church  (Smith)  and 
his  two  counsellors.  There  was  a  carved  marble  font 
standing  or  resting  on  twelve  life-sized  oxen  in  marble  in 
the  basement,  for  the  "baptism  of  the  living,"  "for 
health,  for  the  remission  of  sin,  and  for  the  salvation  of 
the  dead."  The  temple  had  a  single  tower  one  hundred 
feet  in  height  on  the  side  toward  the  river.  On  the 
front  of  the  building  was  this  inscription  : 

"  The  House  of  the  Lord,  built  by  the  Church  of  the 
Latter-Day  Saints.  Holiness  to  the  Lord." 

This  structure  resembled  no  other  church  edifice,  but 
was  remarkably  unique  and  gracefulin  its  proportions, 
particularly  the  front  of  it,  with  its  six  fluted  columns, 
its  carved  Corinthian  caps,  and  broad  piazza.  The  walls 
were  of  massive  thickness  ;  the  architectural  ornaments 
of  the  interior  were  "  holy  emblems,"  and  the  spire  was 
crowned,  or  tipped,  with  a  gilt  angel  and  his  "  gospel 
trump."  P.  T.  Barnum,  it  is  said,  had  this  gilt  angel  in 
his  Kew  York  museum  for  years  after  the  destruction  of 
the  temple.  It  was  the  intention  of  the  Mormons  to  in- 
close this  beautiful  temple  with  a  wall  ten  feet  in  height 
and  six  in  thickness. 


NEW    LIGHT   OK    MOKMONIS3I.  103 

The  other  buildings  in  Nauvoo  were  the  Seventies' 
Hall,  Masonic  Temple,  and  Concert-  Hall,  and  the  large 
hotel  which  the  Prophet  said  was  to  be  the  "Mission 
House  of  the  world,"  and  where  he  would  entertain 
"  emperors,  kings,  and  queens,"  from  the  Old  World, 
who  would  come  to  him  to  inquire  of  the  new  faith. 
There  was  no  licensed  place  to  sell  liquors,  and  drunken- 
ness was  almost  unknown. 

Order  and  thrift  were  the  rule  in  this  growing,  pros- 
perous town.  Loafers  or  idle  people  were  in  disrepute. 
If  a  stranger  entered  Is  auvoo,  his  habits  and  calling  were 
at  once  a  matter  of  watchfulness  ;  and  if  he  was  found  to 
be  lazy  and  without  employment  he  was  at  once  ' '  whit- 
tled "  out  of  town  by  the  deacons.  This  whittling  proc- 
ess seems  to  have  been  a  method  by  which  the  suspected 
person  was  followed  by  certain  officials,  who  surrounded 
him  or  his  abode,  and  in  unison  whittled  at  sticks  carried 
for  the  purpose.  At  first  it  might  seem  to  the  doomed 
one  a  matter  of  accident,  but  its  continuance  from  day  to 
day  was  too  much  for  human  endurance,  and  the  unde- 
sirable stranger  departed,  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  tor- 
mentors. The  first  really  traceable  indication  of  the 
purpose  of  the  Prophet  to  introduce  polygamy  was  in 
1841-42,  and  then  it  was  so  furtively  done  that  the 
thousands  that  "then  believed,  and  still  believe,  in  the 
mission  of  Joseph  Smith,  as  set  forth  by  himself,  deny 
that  he  ever  taught  such  a  doctrine.  It  was  brought 
before  the  residents  of  Nauvoo  by  a  quarrel  between 
Major-General  Bennett,  of  the  Nauvoo  Legion,  who 
(after  he  had  left  the  Saints)  published  a  book  called 
"  Mormonism  Exposed,"  and  related  his  "  teaching  the 
Mormon  sisters  the  doctrine  of  affinity  at  the  command 
of  the  Prophet." 

There  had  been  whispers   of  polygamy   among  the 


104  NEW   LIGHT   OX   MORMONISM. 

leaders  of  Mormonisrn  at  Kirtland,  and  more  than  whis- 
pers of  its  existence  among  them  in  Missouri — Sidney 
Kigdon,  it  is  said,  having  suggested  it  to  Smith,  who  at 
first  was  scandalized  at  the  thought  of  its  introduction 
among  his  followers,  but  easily  adopted  its  practice,  and 
had  a  •"  revelation"  allowing  the  higher  officers  of  the 
church  to  have  "  as  many  wives  as  they  could  support." 

Smith's  wife,  Emma,  the  "  Lady  Elect,"  made  a  vio- 
lent opposition  at  first  to  this  law,  and  the  consolation 
given  to  her  was  "  that  a  Prophet  must  obey  the  Lord, 
and  he  would  be  obedient  to  the  heavenly  vision." 

It  is  not  now  denied  that  polygamy  existed  at  Nauvoo 
at  first  secretly  and  afterward  openly  ;  but  everything 
that  could  be  done  was  done  to  mislead  the  public  as  to 
the  veritable  teachings  of  the  Mormon  leaders  concern- 
ing marriage,  from  the  quarrel  of  Bennett,  in  1842,  until 
the  open  announcement  of  the  revelation  by  Brigham 
Young  at  Salt  Lake  City  in  1852. 

The  missionaries  were  commanded  to  prevaricate,  and 
even  positively  deny,  that  the  Mormon  Church  was  other 
than  monogamic. 

The  sons  of  the  Prophet  have  denied  that  their  father 
believed  in  or  practised  polygamy  ;  but  there  is  over- 
whelming proof  that  Joseph  Smith  had  doubtful  rela- 
tions with  many  "  sisters,"  and  was,  as  he  said,  a  "  law 
unto  himself." 

Many  Mormons  who  personally  knew  the  Prophet 
have  affirmed  that  Joseph  said  it  was  necessary  to  have  a 
"revelation"  on  the  subject  of  marriage  "  to  allay  the 
storm  that  was  brewing  among  the  married  women  and 
to  satisfy  the  young  women  whom  it  was  desirable  to 
convert."  Mrs.  Smith  denounced  the  "  revelation,"  and 
talked  openly  of  a  separation  from  the  Prophet  on  that 
account,  but  was  "softened  down"  by  being  told  that 


NEW   LIGHT   ON   MOEMONIS1I.  105 

the  angel  commanded  her  "  to  cleave  unto  Joseph,"  and 
afterward  signed  a  certificate  from  "  persons  of  families," 
declaring  that  they  knew  of  no  rule,  or  system  of  mar- 
riage, save  that  written  by  Oliver  Cowdrey  on  marriage, 
and  that  Bennett's  "  secret- wife  system  is  a  creature  of 
his  own  making."  An  author  writes  : 

"  The  most  forcible  arguments  that  have  yet  been  ad- 
duced on  Mormon  polygamy  are  furnished  by  the  pens 
of  the  three  sons  of  Joseph  Smith  at  the  head  of  a  me- 
morial to  Congress  protesting  against  Brigham  Young's 
church  founded  by  their  father — to  wit  :  '  If  this  doc- 
trine had  been  presented  to  the  Mormons  with  the  "  first 
principles"  taught  by  the  elders,  not  one  in  ten  thousand 
would  have  accepted  it.' ' 

According  to  another  author  :  "  Few  of  the  Mormon 
women  have  ever  accepted  polygamy  from  the  assent  of 
their  judgment,  having  first  been  led  to  consider  it  by 
their  elders  or  leaders,  as  a  true  doctrine,  and  afterward 
having  been  afraid  to  question  it,  their  fears  counselling 
submission.  Many  of  them  have  never  been  able  to  give 
it  a  careful  consideration." 

Intestine  quarrels  on  this  subject  of  polygamy  and 
other  causes  brought  on  a  crisis  in  affairs  at  Kauvoo,  in 
1844.  The  people  in  the  neighborhood  were  jealous  of 
the  rapidly -growing  and  flourishing  city  ;  they  com- 
plained that  their  property  disappeared  mysteriously,  and 
that  law  cases  tried  in  Nauvoo  courts  were  always  decided 
against  them.  No  Mormon,  they  affirmed,  was  brought 
to  justice.  It  was  widely  reported  that  the  Mormons 
desired  to  rule  the  State,  and  intended  to  set  all  laws  at 
defiance.  A  number  of  talented  and  influential  persons 
who  had  become  residents  of  Nauvoo,  finding  themselves 
deluded  as  to  the  sanctity  of  the  Prophet  and  in  the  ad- 
vancement of  their  temporal  .affairs,  deserted  his  stand- 


106  NEW   LIGHT   OX   MORMONISM. 

ard,  denouncing  him  for  licentiousness,  drunkenness,  and 
boastful  tyranny. 

Smith  justified  his  inebriation  by  the  assertion  that  it 
was  necessary  for  him  to  be  seen  in  that  condition  to 
prevent  his  followers  from  worshipping  him  as  a  God. 
Women  accused  him  of  attempted  seduction,  and  he  re- 
plied that  he  made  such  attempts  "  to  learn  if  they  were 
virtuous. " 

The  Prophet's  newspaper,  the  Wasp,  lashed  these 
dissenters  with  the  bitterest  sarcasm  and  hatred,  to  which 
they  replied  in  the  Expositor,  one  number  of  which  was 
entirely  devoted  to  a  relation  of  the  horrible  immoralities 
of  Joseph  Smith  and  his  intimate  associates. 

A  city  council  was  called,  and  eleven  members  of  the 
twelve  voted  the  Expositor  a  nuisance.  Mrs.  Foster, 
wife  of  Dr.  Foster,  the  editor  of  this  organ,  was  one  of 
the  women  who  had  denounced  the  Prophet  as  having 
made  improper  proposals  to  her,  and  it  was  said  that  she 
wrote  the  first  paper  calling  attention  to  the  iniquities  of 
the  Saints  in  respect  to  "spiritual  wifery. "  William 
Law  was  the  associate  editor  of  the  Expositor. 

Smith  and  his  followers  attacked  the  building  where  it 
was  printed,  destroying  the  presses  and  all  its  contents. 
Foster  and  Law  fled  to  Carthnge,  the  county  seat,  got 
out  warrants  against  Smith  and  his  brother  Hyrum,  and 
sixteen  of  their  intimates.  A  constable  who  served  these 
warrants  was  driven  out  of  Kauvoo.  This  act  fired  the 
smouldering  hatred  of  the  lllinoisians  into  terrible  activ- 
ity, and  a  dark  day  was  lowering  over  the  fate  of  the 
Saints.  The  county  authorities  called  out  the  militia  to 
enforce  the  law. 

The  charter  of  Nauvoo  had  been  so  cunningly  devised 
that  the  State  authorities  were  almost  excluded  from 
iurisdiction  within  its  limits. 


NEW  LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM.  107 

The  Mormons  hastily  armed  themselves,  and  a  civil  war 
seemed  impending  when  Governor  Ford  asked  the  two 
Smiths— Joseph  and  Hyrum — to  surrender  themselves 
and  take  their  trial,  as  the  best  method  of  satisfying  the 
existing  turbulent  parties. 

In  return,  the  Smiths  sent  two  men  to  confer  with  him, 
and  secretly  crossed  the  Mississippi  River  into  Iowa  to 
watch  the  course  of  events,  keeping  up  a  correspondence 
with  the  council,  which,  finding  their  own  people  in- 
censed by  the  desertion  of  their  president,  military  com- 
mander, etc.,  begged  the  Smiths  to  obey  the  summons 
of  the  governor,  they  (the  members  of  the  council)  and 
all  their  friends  feeling  sure  of  an  acquittal  on  trial. 

Following  this  advice,  they  returned  to  Nauvoo  and 
started  for  Carthage,  but  were  met  by  an  officer  with  an 
order  to  disband  the  legion  and  deliver  up  the  State 
arms.  The  Smiths  accompanied  this  officer,  who  had 
some  troops  with  him,  and  the  order  was  duly  executed. 
The  two  brothers  were  then  conducted  to  Carthage,  with 
Dr.  Richards,  John  Taylor,  and  others,  were  indicted  for 
treason,  and  lodged  in  jail. 

The  dissenting  Mormons  and  all  who  had  suffered  in- 
justice and  loss  of  property  from  the  Smiths  now  swore 
dire  vengeance  against  the  prisoners  ;  but  the  governor, 
after  discharging  the  troops,  went  to  Nauvoo  and  ad- 
dressed the  people,  advising  them  to  submit  to  the  laws 
and  conduct  themselves  as  good  citizens,  promising  jus- 
tice to  all  parties. 

On  the  27th  of  June,  1844,  he  started  to  return  to 
Carthage,  when  he  met  a  messenger  who  informed  him 
that  a  horrible  massacre  of  the  Smiths  had  been. commit- 
ted by  an  infuriated  mob. 

The  governor,  fearing  a  retaliation  from  the  Mormons 
on  the  inhabitants  of  Carthage,  advised  them  to  evacuate 


108  NEW    LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM. 

Nauvoo,  and  placed  General  Deming,  with  the  few 
troops  that  could  be  raised,  and  himself  retired  to  Quincy 
to  await  events.  It  appears  that  while  the  governor  was 
absent  from  Carthage,  and  the  troops  were  disbanded,  a 
number  of  excited  and  bloodthirsty  individuals  took 
matters  into  their  own  hands,  decided  to  administer 
justice  after  their  own  fashion,  and  attacked  the  jail  very 
early  in  the  morning,  breaking  down  the  door  of  the 
room  where  the  prisoners  were  confined. 

The  Smiths  were  very  brave,  and  defended  themselves 
as  long  as  their  ammunition  held  out,  firing  their  revolv- 
ers in  rapid  succession.  Hyruin  was  shot  first,  and  then 
Joseph  threw  open  the  window,  and  in  the  act  of  leaping 
out  was  killed  by  the  bullets  fired  by  the  mob,  saying,  as 
he  fell,  "  O  Lord,  my  God  !" 

Taylor  was  wounded,  and  Dr.  Richards,  in  the  con- 
fusion, managed  to  escape.  This  John  Taylor,  at  present 
at  the  head  of  the  Mormon  Church  at  Utah,  is  the  one 
mentioned  as  being  in  jail  at  Carthage  with  the  Smiths, 
and  who  came  so  near  sharing  their  fate. 

The  murder  of  their  Prophet  exasperated  the  Mor- 
mons at  Nauvoo,  and  they  determined  on  a  "  war  to  the 
knife"  with  all  who  had  participated  in  that  tragedy. 

The  more  sagacious  ones,  however,  perceived  that  it 
would  be  unwise  to  pursue  such  a  course,  and  began  very 
skilfully  to  prevent  the  entire  ruin  of  their  future  hopes. 
They  addressed  the  infuriated  citizens,  with  clubs  in 
their  hands,  while  a  great  drum  was  meanwhile  beating 
to  arms.  It  was  a  fearful  struggle.  Revenge  was  deep, 
and  curses  were  poured  out  on  the  Gentiles,  and  "  the 
time  to  fight"  most  of  them  supposed  had  arrived  ;  but 
the  leaders  made  delays,  and  surrendered  their  arms. 

They  talked  of  a  new  organization  and  new  leaders, 
and  so  the  day  passed,  and  wrath  was  kept  for  a  more 


NEW   LIGHT   OX   MORMONISM.  109 

propitious  season.  The  following  morning  the  people 
collected  in  Temple  Square.  The  apostles  promised 
"  the  vengeance  of  heaven"  on  their  enemies  when  the 
time  was  ripe  for  the  vials  of  wrath  to  be  poured  on 
them,  by  patience,  tire,  and  sword. 

Next,  the  funeral  pageant  was  of  absorbing  interest, 
for  the  mourning  was  sore,  sad,  and  deep  over  "  the  be- 
loved patriarch  and  the  adored  Prophet  Joseph." 

They  were  called  "  martyrs  for  their  faith  and  tri- 
umphant in  glory."  The  bodies  of  the  Smiths  were 
buried  in  the  cellar  of  Joseph's  house,  although  the 
ceremony  of  burying  their  empty  coffins  was  performed 
at  the  grave.  Joseph  Smith's  death  by  the  violence  of 
his  enemies  was  opportune  for  the  support  of  the  system 
he  sought  to  establish,  as  he  had  arrived  at  a  point  where 
the  least  delay  would  have  made  its  waves  overflow  and 
engulf  him. 

He  had  lived  long  enough  for  his  fame,  and  died  when 
he  could  be  called  a  martyr.  It  has  been  said  of  him 
that  "  he  could  begin  but  not  conduct  a  revolution." 
He  had  become  too  impatient  to  manage  a  multitude, 
and  save  for  his  death  at  the  time,  and  in  this  violent 
manner,  the  internal  convulsions  in  the  faith  might  have 
extinguished  Mormonism. 

One  version  of  the  return  of  the  Smith  brothers  from 
Iowa  to  surrender  themselves  to  the  authorities  at  Car- 
thage is,  that  they  had  started  "to  seek  out  a  new  home" 
in  some  isolated  place  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  for  the 
people,  of  which  Joseph  saw  the  necessity,  when  a  letter 
from  his  wife,  Emma,  overtook  him,  persuading  him  to 
come  back  ;  and  in  obeying  it  he  made  the  fatal  mistake 
which  cost  his  life. 

It  is  now  believed  on  good  authority  that  it  was  "  this 
specious  letter"  of  his  wife's,  rather  than  the  governor's 


110  NEW   LIGHT   ON    MORMONISM. 

wish,  which  induced  him  to  act  against  his  better  judg- 
ment, and  flee  from  the  Gentiles.  She  wrote  to  him 
reproachfully  for  his  cowardice,  denounced  him  as  an 
impostor,  and  asked  him  to  give  proof  of  his  mission  by 
facing  the  enemies  of  the  church. 

It  was  the  Missourians — who  had  never  forgiven  the 
Mormons — who  were  mainly  instrumental  in  inciting  the 
mob  at  Carthage  to  murder  the  Smiths.  Even  their 
enemies  acknowledged  that  they  died  manfully.  Joseph 
was  heroic  in  a  sense  rarely  allied  to  meanness  ;  yet  every 
act  of  his  life  and  all  the  circumstances  of  his  death 
attest  the  cheat  ;  still  he  was  of  no  ignoble  order. 

A  few  months  before  the  Prophet's  death  Professor 
Turner,  of  Jacksonville,  111.,  saw  him  at  JSTauvoo,  and 
thus  described  his  personal  appearance  : 

"  He  is  a  curious  mixture  of  the  clown  and  the  knave  ; 
his  hands  are  large  and  awkward,  and  he  wears  a  massive 
gold  ring  on  one  of  his  fingers.  He  has  a  downcast 
look,  and  nothing  of  that  straightforward  appearance 
that  characterizes  the  honest  man.  His  language  is  un- 
couth and  ungrammatical. " 

But  this  description  of  the  Prophet's  appearance  is 
contradicted  by  other  testimony,  quite  as  reliable  ;  and 
whatever  he  may  have  been  from  the  commencement  of 
his  pretended  mission  to  the  time  of  his  death,  the  mass  of 
Mormons  have  been  satisfied  with  him.  His  personal 
beauty  and  magnetism,  it  is  said,  controlled  those  who 
were  about  him.  He  made  them  believe  he  could  work 
miracles,  cast  out  devils  ;  that  angels  visited  him  ;  that 
he  had  revelations,  trances,  and  was  the  chosen  Prophet 
of  the  "  Latter-Day  Saints."  In  one  year  he  had  thirty- 
seven  revelations,  which  he  said  were  from  Jesus  Christ. 
He  began  all  his  addresses  with  "  thus  saith  the  Lord." 

The  New  Jerusalem  was  ever  in  his  mind  and  conver- 


NEW    LIGHT   ON"    MORMOSTISM.  Ill 

sation  ;  but  where  it  was  to  be  lie  did  not  discover.  His 
associations  were  such  as  made  him  acquainted  with  the 
weak  side  of  humanity,  and  he  early  saw  that  numbers 
were  more  convincing  to  the  masses  than  intellectual  at- 
tainments in  point  of  religious  influence.  His  "  mission' ' 
grew  with  his  years  and  his  success,  and  he  had  far  more 
power  over  the  destinies  of  Mormonism  than  the  "  Book 
of  Mormon"  itself. 

During  his  life  he  had  an  unquestioned  influence  over 
his  wife  Emma  ;  she  assisted  him  in  every  way  to  delude 
the  credulous  and  unscrupulous  ;  but  a  few  years  after 
his  death  she  published  a  statement  in  the  Quincy  (111.) 
Whig  to  the  effect  that  she  had  no  belief  in  Smith's 
prophetic  capacity,  and  considered  his  pretended  revela- 
tions as  the  emanations  of  a  diseased  mind. 

The  following  extract,  from  a  criticism  of  books  on 
Mormonism,  is  pertinent  to.  the  foregoing  chapter.  Au- 
thor unknown.  Date,  January,  1880  : 

This  ridiculous  proposition  to  establish  a  Territorial  Government 
within  the  bounds  of  a  State  has  underlying  it  a  desperate  expedient 
to  save  Joe's  neck  from  the  halter  which  it  richly  deserved.  Orrin 
Porter  Rockwell,  church  murderer,  then  new  to  the  business,  but  now 
the  retired  hero  of  a  hundred  murders,  had  been  sent  by  Joe  over  to 
Missouri  to  assassinate  Governor  Boggs.  "  Port,"  as  he  is  affection- 
ately called  at  Salt  Lake,  shot  the  governor  in  the  head,  but,  as  he 
was  comparatively  inexperienced,  did  not  kill  him.  On  the  5lh  of 
June  preceding  the  date  of  this  petition,  an  indictment  against  Joe 
and  Port  was  found  in  Missouri,  and  on  the  7th  Governor  Ford  issued 
a  warrant  for  Joe's  arrest,  and  surrendered  him  to  a  Missouri  officer. 
He  was  rescued  by  the  Mormons,  taken  on  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  be- 
fore the  Nauvoo  Municipal  Court  (!),  and,  of  course,  discharged. 
Governor  Ford  had  been  urged  to  call  out  the  militia  to  aid  in  Joe's 
rendition,  and  in  the  petition  it  is  proposed  that  the  Mayor  of  Nauvoo 
(Joe)  shall  have  the  power  "  to  call  to  his  aid  a  sufficient  number  of 
United  States  forces,  in  connection  with  the  Nauvoo  Legion,  to  repel 
the  invasion  of  mobs,  keep  the  public  peace,  and  protect  the  inno- 
cent from  the  unhallowed  ravages  of  lawless  banditti  that  escape 


112  NEW    LIGHT   ON"   MORMOXISM. 

justice  on  the  Western  frontier  ;  and  also  to  preserve  the  poorer  and 
dignity  of  the  Union.  And  be  it  farther  ordained  that  the  officers  of 
the  United  States  Army  are  hereby  required  to  obey  the  requisitions 
of  this  ordinance."  Joe  did  not  get  his  Territorial  Government,  but 
the  Illinois  election  was  about  to  take  place,  and  having  three  thou- 
sand votes  to  trade  on,  he  was  allowed  to  run  at  large  a  few  months 
longer,  until  he  was  killed.  If  he  had  been  taken  over  to  Missouri, 
and  given  a  fair  trial,  he  might  have  saved  his  life  by  going  to  State's 
prison.  "  Port"  was  tried,  but  being  advised  in  better  season  than 
Mr.  Pickwick,  proved  "an  alibi,"  and  is  still  an  ornament  to  Salt 
Lake  society  and  a  shining  light  in  the  Mormon  Church. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Brigham  Young's  election  to  the  presidency —The  expulsion  of  the 
Mormons  from  Nauvoo  in  1846. 

'  AFTER  the  death  of  Joseph  and  Hyrurn  Smith,  the 
Mormons  seem  to  have  been  in  a  state  of  bewilderment 
and  indecision.  It  was  one  of  the  most  critical  periods 
in  their  history,  and  the  question  arose  "  on  whom  the 
mantle  of  the  Prophet  should  fall."  The  most  influen- 
tial of  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo  assembled  to  debate  that 
question. 

Sidney  Rigdon  had  already  assumed  the  role  of  chief 
functionary  as  of  right,  and  had  a  "  revelation"  on  this 
subject.  He  had  strong  claims  to  sustain  this  assumption 
of  power.  He  had  originated  Mormonism,  and  had  very 
important  secrets  in  his  custody  ;  but  he  miscalculated  his 
influence.  He  was  unpopular,  was  distrusted,  and  it  was 
known  that  Joseph  had  long  kept  him  at  arm's  length, 
fearing  to  quarrel  with  him.  Rigdon  said  his  new 
"revelation"  commanded  the  "Saints"  to  go  to  Pitts- 
burg,  Pa.,  and  this  contradicted  all  that  Joseph  had  re- 
ceived, which  indicated  that  Jackson  Co.,  Missouri,  was 
positively  to  be  their  final  home. 

Ten  weeks  after  the  removal  of  the  Prophet,  Rigdon 
was  called  before  the  high  quorum  of  the  priesthood  to 
answer  for  his  misdeeds.  He  refused  to  appear. 

Brigham  Young  was  in  Boston,  Mass.,  engaged  in  mis- 
sion work,  when  he  heard  of  the  death  of  the  Smiths,  and 
hastened  to  Nauvoo  as  rapidly  as  possible  after  the  news 
reached  him,  convinced  of  his  right  to  govern  the  peo- 


114  KEW    LIGHT   OX   MORMOXISM. 

pie.  Next  to  Joseph  Smith,  Brigham  Young  was  the 
ablest  man  in  certain  ways  who  has  been  brought  into 
prominence  by  the  Mormon  delusion.  The  two  men 
had  much  in  common,  and  each  had  a  keen  perception 
of  the  character  of  the  other.  Brigham  was  born  in 
Vermont,  in  1801,  and  removed  at  an  early  age  to 
Livingston  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  a  field-laborer. 
Later  he  was  a  house-painter  at  Canandaigua,  N.  Y.  He 
joined  the  Mormons  in  1832,  at  Kirtland,  where  his  nat- 
ural shrewdness  and  quickness  were  immediately  recog- 
nized. 

As  one  of  the  "  Twelve  Apostles"  he  soon  became 
famous  as  a  successful  preacher,  arid  Smith,  with  pro- 
phetic vision,  in  acknowledging  Young's  qualities  as  a 
ruler,  remarked  :  li  If  Brigham  has  a  chance  he  will  lead 
the  Mormons  to  hell."  At  Nauvoo,  however,  he  saved 
them  from  destruction.  He  saw  his  opportunity,  and  had 
the  wit  and  the  nerve  to  embrace  it.  His  first  move- 
ment in  this  emergency  was  to  make  a  public  address  ac- 
cusing Rigdon  of  "  manufacturing  revelations,"  as  hav- 
ing a  "  spirit  as  corrupt  as  the  devil,"  and  declaring  his 
mind  was  enveloped  in  darkness,  and  that  he  sowed  dis- 
sensions in  the  church. 

The  following  portion  of  this  address  is  curious  as 
tending  to  prove  Rigdon's  complicity  in  the  original 
fraud  by  which  the  "  Book  of  Mormon"  was  palmed  off 
on  the  credulous  as  a  divine  revelation — to  wit  : 

"  Brother  Sidney  sa_ys  he  will  tell  our  secrets  ;  but  if 
he  tells  them,  we  will  tell  his.  Tit  for  tat.  If  there  is 
so  much  iniquity  in  our  church,  he  is  a  black-hearted 
wretch  not  to  have  told  it  long  ago  ;"  and  Young  con- 
cluded with  saying  that  Rigdon  was  the  prime  cause  of 
all  the  troubles  the  Saints  had  had  in  Missouri  and 
Illinois,  and  to  retain  him  in  the  church  was  to  bring 


NEW    LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM.  115 

utter  destruction  upon  it.  A  few  voices  were  eloquent  in 
Rigdon's  favor — ten  in  number  ;  but  the  majority  ruled, 
and  Young  delivered  him  over  to  the  "  bufferings  of  the 
devil  for -a  thousand  years  in  the  home  of  the  Lord." 
His  ten  friends  were  also  suspended  from  their  fellow- 
ship with  the  church. 

Rigdon  never  sought  to  re-enter  the  church,  and, 
what  was  far  more  important  to  the  Mormons,  he  never 
told  their  secrets.  He  left  Nauvoo  immediately.  Three 
other  Mormons  desired  "  the  mantle  of  the  Prophet" — 
Lyman  White,  William  Smith,  and  Straiig — all  of  whom 
were  excommunicated.  Each  had  his  followers.  Strang 
founded  a  city  on  the  prairies  of  Wisconsin,  where  he 
had  a  large  colony,  which  ultimately  removed  to  Beaver 
Island,  Lake  Michigan,  and  assumed  the  title  of  "  king." 

Brigham  wras  now  triumphant  ;  the  same  assembly 
which  had  rejected  Rigdon  elected  him  "  First  Presi- 
dent," and  invested  him  writh  the  "  keys."  He  at  once 
issued  a  "  circular  letter"  to  the  Saints,  giving  his  views 
on  the  situation.  It  was  calm,  hopeful,  practical,  and 
got  up  in  a  masterly  style  ;  but  his  pacific  advice  could 
not  heal  matters  with  the  "  Gentiles."  and  he  gave  out 
that  the  Mormons  must  leave  Illinois. 

The  charter  of  Nauvoo  was  repealed  by  the  Legisla- 
ture of  the  State  in  1845.  In  the  midst  of  these  stirring 

o 

and  exciting  scenes  the  Mormons  gave  a  curious  exhibi- 
tion of  their  faith  in  Joseph  Smith.  lie  had  predicted 
the  completion  of  the  temple,  and  Brigham  commanded 
them  to  remain  in  Nauvoo  in  order  to  fulfil  the  "  revela- 
tion" of  the  Prophet. 

Unheard-of  exertions  were  made  to  carry  out  this 
command,  and  the  temple  was  finished  to  its  minutest 
ornamentation.  When  it  was  ready  the  Mormons  flocked 
into  the  city  from  every  quarter,  and  there  was  great 


116  NEW   LIGHT   ON   MORMOXISM. 

rejoicing  over  the  consecration  of  "  the  Pride  of  the 
Valley,"  as  they  called  it. 

The  interior  was  elaborately  decorated  with  festoons 
and  wreaths  of  flowers,  and  symbolic  glories  "  celestial, 
telestial,  and  terrestrial  ;"  chants  were  sung,  prayers 
offered,  and  lamps  and  torches  lighted  to  make  it  re- 
splendent. This  done,  the  walls  were  dismantled,  the 
ornaments  taken  down,  and  the  symbols  of  their  faith 

«/ 

removed  to  leave  the  noble  building  "to  be  trodden 
down  and  profaned  by  the  Gentiles." 

From  this  time  the  enemies  of  the  Mormons  believed 
in  their  promised  evacuation  of  the  city.  A  venerable 
uncle  of  Joseph's  declared  that  he  had  been  told  in  a 
prophetic  vision  that  "  the  whole  people  must  retire  into 
the  wilderness,  to  grow  into  a  multitude,  aloof  from  the 
haunts  of  civilization." 

Brigham  Young  and  the  Council  took  this  matter  into 
consideration.  The  result  was,  that  they  decided  to 
move  as  rapidly  as  possible  across  Iowa  to  the  Missouri, 
into  the  Indian  country  near  Council  Bluffs.  It  is  stated 
that  hostilities  had  been  mutually  suspended  between  the 
Mormons  and  their  enemies,  the  State  Government  hav- 
ing promised  its  protection  to  the  "  Saints"  until  they 
could  dispose  of  their  property.  The  exodus  had  been 
delayed  to  finish  the  temple,  and  the  mobocratic  spirit 
of  the  Illinoisians  and  Missourians  was  again  aroused. 


THE  EXODUS  FKOM  NAUVOO. 

In  the  winter  of  1846  the  Mormons  commenced  to 
leave  the  city.  An  indescribable  pageant  of  ox-carts 
and  mule  teams,  loaded  with  women,  children,  and  all 
sorts  of  furniture,  passed  out  from  Nauvoo  to  the  miry 


NEW   LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM.  117 

tracks  of  the  prairies  ;  but  the  spirits  of  all,  save  the  sick 
and  the  helpless,  were  unbroken.  Brigham  superin- 
tended every  detail  of  this  evacuation  of  Nauvoo.  He 
arranged  that  the  population  should  leave  in  companies 
as  carefully  selected  and  as  well  ordered  as  the  situation 
allowed.  In  spite  of  this  preparation  there  was  a  report 
that  the  Mormons  really  intended  to  remain,  as  their 
progress  was  so  tardy  to  the  impatient  Illinoisians  ;  and 
in  violation  of  all  promises  and  State  faith  they  called 
out  the  militia  and  drove  the  defenceless  residents  from 
their  homes  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  after  bombard- 
ing the  city  for  three  days  and  nights. 

This  was  in  September  of  1846.  The  militia  seems 
to  have  been  a  rabble  of  two  thousand  men,  who  gath- 
ered to  fight  less  than  three  thousand  of  the  old  Nauvoo 

o 

Legion.  While  this  barbaric  war  was  being  conducted 
against  those  who  had  been  left  in  the  city  (the  most 
helpless  and  defenceless)  Brigharn  was  leading  his  com- 
panies across  the  prairies  to  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  which 
had  been  selected  as  a  temporary  halting-place,  where  the 
Mormons  could  recuperate  their  energies  and  prepare  for 
a  more  extended  pilgrimage. 

Men  and  women  had  been  sent  forward,  through 
Brigham's  foresight,  to  plant  crops  by  the  wayside  for 
those  who.  should  follow  to  gather  ;  but  there  was  terri- 
ble suffering  and  much  sickness  among  these  bands,  who 
toiled  onward,  obedient  to  their  leader's  dictation. 

The  following  description  of  the  city  of  Nauvoo,  im- 
mediately after  the  Mormons  were  driven  from  it  by 
their  foes,  was  written  by  Colonel  Kane,  of  the  United 
States  Army  (a  brother  of  Kane  the  Arctic  explorer), 
who  afterward  made  the  journey  from  Council  Bluffs  to 
Utah  in  company  with  the  Mormons,  and  wrote  an  ac- 
count of  it.  From  this  time  Colonel  Kane's  sympathies 


118  NEW    LIGHT   ON    MORMONIS3I. 

were  deeply  enlisted  in  behalf  of  the  Mormons,  as  will 
bo  further  seen. 

11  Ascending  the  upper  Mississippi  in  the  autumn 
(1846),  when  its  waters  were  low,  I  was  obliged  to  travel 
by  land  past  the  region  of  the  rapids.  I  had  left  the 
steamer  at  Keokuk,  at  the  foot  of  the  lower  fall,  and 
hired  a  carriage  to  where  the  deep  water  of  the  river 
returns.  I  was  descending  the  last  hillside  upon  my 
journey,  when  a  charming  landscape  broke  upon  my 
view.  Half  encircled  by  a  bend  in  the  river,  a  beautiful 
city  lay  glittering  in  the  morning  sun.  Its  bright  new 
buildings  were  set  in  cool  green  gardens,  ranging  up 
around  a  stately,  dome-shaped  hill,  which  was  crowned 
by  a  noble  marble  edifice,  whose  high,  tapering  spire 
was  radiant  with  white  and  gold. 

"  The  city  appeared  to  cover  several  miles,  and  behind 
it  in  the  background  there  rolled  off  a  fair  country, 
checkered  by  the  careful  lines  of  industry,  enterprise, 
and  educated  wealth  ;  everywhere  the  scene  was  one  of 
singular  and  most  striking  beauty. 

<;  It  was  natural  to  visit  this  interesting  region.  I  was 
rowed  across  the  river,  landing  at  the  chief  wharf  of  the 
city.  No  one  met  me  there.  1  looked  and  saw  no  one. 
I  could  hear  no  one.  It  was  quiet  everywhere,  save  for 
the  buzzing  of  the  flies  and  the  water-ripples  on  the 
shallow  of  the  beach.  The  town  lay  in  a  dream,  under 
some  deadening  spell  of  loneliness,  from  which  I  almost 
feared  to  waken  it,  for  plainly  it  had  not  slept  long. 
There  was  no  grass  growing  up  in  the  paved  ways  ;  rain 
had  not  entirely  washed  out  the  prints  of  dusty  foot- 
steps ;  yet  1  went  about  unchecked  into  empty  work- 
shops, rope-walks,  and  smithies.  The  spinner's  wheel 
was  idle,  shavings  were  on  the  carpenter's  work-bench, 
fresh  bark  was  in  the  tanner's  vat,  light  wood  stood  piled 


STEW   LIGHT    ON    MORMONISM.  119 

against  the  baker's  oven.  No  work-people  looked  to 
learn  my  errand.  1  went  into  gardens,  clinking  the  latch 
loudly  after  me,  to  pull  the  marigolds,  heartsease,  and 
lady-slippers  ;  drank  from  a  well  with  a  noisy  chain,  but 
no  one  called  out  to  me  from  the  windows  or  dog  came 
forward  to  bark  an  alarm.  The  house-doors  were  all 
unfastened,  and  when  at  last  I  timidly  entered  them,  I 
found  dead  ashes  white  upon  the  hearths,  and  awoke 
irreverent  echoes  by  walking  over  the  naked  floors.  On 
the  outside  of  the  town  was  the  city  graveyard,  but  there 
was  no  record  of  a  plague.  Some  of  the  stones  were 
newly  set,  and  their  dates  recent.  Beyond  the  grave- 
yard, out  in  the  fields,  I  saw  where  the  fruited  boughs 
of  a  young  orchard  had  been  torn  down,  and  noticed  the 
still  smouldering  remains  of  a  barbecue  fire,  which  had 
been  made  from  the  fence-rails  that  surrounded  it.  It 
was  the  latest  sign  of  life  there  ;  fields  upon  fields  of 
yellow  grain  lay  rotting  around. 

"  Only  two  portions  of  the  city  seemed  to  suggest  the 
import  of  this  mysterious  solitude.  In  the  southern  sub- 
urb the  houses  looking  out  upon  the  country  showed, 
by  their  splintered  woodwork  and  walls  battered  to  their 
foundations,  that  they  had  lately  been  the  mark  of  a  de- 
structive cannonading.  In  and  around  the  splendid 
temple,  which  had  been  the  chief  object  of  my  admira- 
tion, armed  men  were  barracked  with  their  stacks  of 
musketry  and  pieces  of  heavy  ordnance.  These  chal- 
lenged me,  and  wondered  I  had  had  the  temerity  to  cross 
the  river  without  a  written  order  from  their  leader. 
They  told  me  the  story  of  the  dead  city  ;  that  it  had 
been  a  great  manufacturing  and  commercial  mart,  shel- 
tering over  twenty  thousand  persons  ;  that  they  had 
waged  war  for  several  years  with  its  inhabitants,  and  had 
only  lately  been  successful  in  driving  them  away  at  the 


120  NEW   LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM. 

point  of  the  sword.  They  boasted  of  their  powers  in  the 
three  days'  battle,  and  of  their  exploits  ;  told  how  they 
killed  a  boy  of  fifteen  and  his  father,  who  had  just  be- 
come residents,  and  whom  they  admitted  were  without 
reproach.  They  conducted  me  to  the  sculptured  walls 
of  the  curious  temple,  where  they  said  the  banished  in- 
habitants had  been  accustomed  to  celebrate  the  mystic 
rites  of  an  unhallowed  worship,  and  pointed  out  certain 
features  of  the  building  which  they  had  sedulously  de- 
stroyed as  having  been  peculiar  objects  of  a  former 
superstitious  regard.  There  was  a  deep  well  in  one  of 
the  chambers,  which  they  said  had  been  constructed  with 
some  dreadful  design  ;  and  they  told  me  romantic  stories 
of  a  great  marble  basin  supported  by  twelve  oxen  the 
size  of  life.  They  said  '  here  parents  went  into  the 
water  for  their  lost  children,  and  children  for  their 
parents  ; '  '  widows  for  their  spouses,  and  young  persons 
for  their  lovers  ;  '  and  thus  '  the  great  vase  '  was  associ- 
ated to  them  with  tender  memories,  and  was  the  object 
of  all  others  in  the  building  of  the  most  idolatrous  affec- 
tion. They  permitted  me  to  ascend  to  the  steeple  to  see 
where  it  had  been  struck  by  lightning  the  Sunday  pre- 
vious, and  to  look  out  east  and  west  on  wasted  farms,  like 
the  one  mentioned,  extending  until  they  were  lost  in  the 
distance. 

"  It  was  nightfall  when  I  crossed  the  river  on  my 
return.  The  water  was  rough,  so  I  made  for  a  point 
higher  up,  landing  where  a  faint  glimmering  light  in- 
vited me  to  steer.  Here  among  the  rushes,  sheltered 
only  by  the  darkness,  were  several  hundred  human  crea- 
tures in  an  uneasy  slumber  on  the  ground.  My  move- 
ments roused  them.  Dreadful  indeed  were  the  suffer- 
ings of  these  forsaken  beings,  bowed  and  cramped  by 
the  cold  and  sunburn  alternating,  as  each  weary  day  and 


NEW  LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM.  121 

night  dragged  on.  Almost  all  of  them  were  the  crip- 
pled victims  of  disease.  They  were  there  because  they 
had  no  homes,  nor  hospital,  nor  poorhouse,  nor  friend 
to  offer  them  any.  They  were  all  alike  bivouacked  in 
tatters.  These  were  Mormons  turned  out  of  Nauvoo, 
too  poor,  too  ill,  to  follow  their  more  fortunate  compan- 
ions, who  were  en  route  for  Council  Bluffs.  There  were 
six  hundred  and  forty  persons  thus  lying  on  the  Iowa 
flats  opposite  Nauvoo,  and  the  last  who  were  turned  out 
of  it." 

Mrs.  Emma  Smith,  the  true  wife  of  the  first  Mormon 
Prophet,  with  her  children  and  several  of  the  elder 
members  of  the  numerous  Smith  family  who  had  fol- 
lowed the  fortunes  of  Joseph  to  Nauvoo,  did  not  leave 
the  neighborhood  of  the  city  to  go  west  with  the  other 
Mormons  under  the  leadership  of  Brigham  Young. 
Mrs.  Smith  afterward  married  Major  L.  C.  Bidamon,  and 
died  a  few  years  ago. 

The  temple,  after  being  partially  destroyed  by  the 
militia  in  1846,  was  burned  in  1848.  Two  years  later  it 
was  partly  rebuilt  by  the  French  Icorrians  (brought  to 
Nauvoo  by  Monsieur  Cabet,  the  Socialist)  for  their  own 
use  ;  but  a  terrible  tornado  in  1850  threw  most  of  the 
splendid  edifice  to  the  ground. 

The  rise,  progress,  and  destruction  of  Nauvoo  occu- 
pied seven  years.  Its  history  is  as  wonderful  as  that  of 
any  city  ever  built,  and  many  of  its  mysteries  have  yet 
to  be  told. 


CHAPTER  X.* 

The  journey  through  the  wilderness— The  arrival  of  the  Saints  in 
Utah — The  early  political  situation  of  the  Mormons  in  "  the  Land 
of  the  Honey  Bee" — The  Mountain  Meadow  butchery — The  influ- 
ence of  the  Mormons  over  the  Indians. 

WE  have  seen  how  Brigham  Young  hastened  from 
Boston  to  Nauvoo,  "  convinced  of  his  right  to  lead  the 
people,"  and  that  the  Mormons  willingly  yielded  to  his 
conviction,  and  obeyed  him  implicitly.  He  was  at  this 
time  under  forty  years  of  age.  He  is  said  to  have  had  a 
most  prepossessing  countenance,  a  very  frank  and  pleas- 
ing address,  and  to  have  had  the  art  of  inspiring  enthusi- 
asm without  allowing  it  to  influence  his  own  motives  or 
actions. 

"We  have  also  seen  that,  owing  to  his  persuasive  elo- 
quence, Rigdon  had  been  sent  adrift,  and  that  he  had 
commanded  that  the  temple  should  be  completed,  as  be 
said,  to  fulfil  Joseph  Smith's  "'  revelation"  to  that  effect, 
but  probably  to  make  plans  for  the  future  welfare  of  the 
Saints.  Seeing  that  their  position  was  fraught  with 
dangers  of  both  a  seen  and  unseen  character,  he  deter- 
mined that  it  must  be  changed — in  short,  that  his 
followers  must  seek  "  pastures  new,"  find  fresh  sur- 
roundings and  possibilities  somewhere.  Meanwhile  he 
announced  to  his  people  that  they  must  be  ready  to 

*  In  continuation  of  "the  history  of  the  wanderings  of  the  Saints 
from  Kirtland  to  Reseret,  and  the  events  following  in  their  career  up 
to  the  present  time,  the  most  reliable  authorities  upon  this  subject 
have  been  carefully  consulted. 


NEW   LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM.  123 

sacrifice  their  all  whenever  he  called  upon  them  to  do 
so.  They  wept  and  hesitated  ;  but  his  authority  pre- 
vented further  expressions  of  regret,  as  they  were  bound 
to  him  by  oaths  which  they  shuddered  to  remember,  and 
which  yet  made  them  love  him  all  the  more  as  their 
president,  brother,  and  spiritual  adviser.  Agents  were 
sent  by  him  to  explore  the  Western  Territories.  Their 
glowing  accounts  of  Utah,  both  for  its  great  natural 
resources  and  beauty,  induced-  him  to  select  that  locality 
as  the  future  residence  of  the  Mormons.  Besides,  Utah 
at  the  time  belonged  to  Mexico  ;  it  was  ^beyond  the 
control  of  the  detested  Stars  and  Stripes  and  the  uncom- 
fortable people  who  had  thrice  expelled  "  the  chosen 
ones"  from  their  resting-places.  He  made  his  purpose 
known  to  those  nearest  to  him  in  office,  but  the  common 
herd  were  merely  informed  that  their  destination  was  to 
be  somewhere  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  that  they 
were  to  move  on  in  that  direction  as  far  as  Council  Bluffs 
that  season.  This  new  exodus  began  in  February,  1846, 
the  bleakest  and  coldest  month  of  the  year  in  that  section 
of  the  country.  Here  Brigham  Young  proved  himself  a 
general,  as  well  as  commander.  He  directed  every- 
thing, and  as  the  long  trains  of  wagons,  filled  with  the 
Saints  and  such  of  their  household  effects  as  they  could 
carry,  passed  by  him  and  crossed  the  "  Father  of  Waters," 
he  comforted  and  inspired  and  counselled  the  weeping 
emigrants.  Certain  men  were  left  behind  at  his  desire 
to  sell  the  property  of  the  church,  and  then  shake  off  the 
very  dust  of  that  unfortunate  locality. 

This  journey  proved  to  be  one  of  intense  suffering. 
Many  of  the  wretched  wanderers  fell  ill  and  perished  by 
the  way,  and  the  survivors  gladly  received  the  command 
to  make  Council  Bluffs  a  temporary  abode  for  rest  and 
recuperation.  The  church  was  reorganized  on  the  arrival 


124  NEW    LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM. 

of  the  advanced  company  of  the  Saints,  as  they  had 
moved  in  sections  and  not  in  one  solid  body,  probably  so 
as  not  to  disturb  the  inhabitants  of  the  sparsely  populated 
country  with  their  numbers.  Some  of  the  historians  of 
Mormonism  have  asserted  that  when  the  Mormons  left 
Nauvoo  they  intended  to  go  no  farther  than  Council 
Bluffs  ;  but  there  is  very  strong  evidence  that  Brigham 
Young  had  fully  laid  his  plans  to  make  Utah  his  future 
scene  of  action  and  rule  before  he  crossed  the  Mississippi. 
So  far  on  the  route,  he  must  make  plans  for  the  com- 
pletion of  the  journey.  The  obstacles  in  the  way  of  this 
intention  would  have  intimidated  a  less  courageous  man. 
There  was  still  over  one  thousand  miles  to  traverse 
through  an  almost  unknown  country.  If  it  was  difficult 
to  transport  armed  troops  through  the  wilderness,  what 
skill  and  energy  must  it  not  have  required  to  send  a 
nearly  unprovided -for,  feeble,  and  impoverished  company 
of  men,  women,  and  little  children  such  a  distance  ! 
But  his  wisdom  and  forethought  controlled  the  whole 
matter. 

An  event  in  our  national  history,  the  war  between  the 
United  States  and  Mexico,  was  imminent.  He  had  had 
inklings  of  it ;  he  hoped  for  it,  and  was  prepared  to  take 
advantage  of  it.  His  followers  could  wait  a  little  longer 
before  making,  as  he  believed,  their  last  "  hegira"  to  a 
land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey.  The  government 
had  offered  large  bounty  money  to  all  who  would  enlist 
in  the  army. 

The  Mormons  took  advantage  of  this  offer,  and,  con- 
cealing their  real  design  under  a  sham  patriotism,  sent 
an  agent  to  Washington  asking  that  they  should  be  per- 
mitted to  form  an  organization  to  fight  the  common 
enemy.  The  government  approved,  or,  at  all  events, 
allowed  this  scheme  to  be  carried  out,  and  in  this  way 


NEW    LIGHT    ON    MORMONISM.  125 

money  was  furnished  which  assisted  the  emigrants  to 
cross  the  plains  toward  Utah.  July  24th,  1847,  one 
hundred  and  forty-three  men,  pioneers,  entered  Salt 
Lake  Valley  accompanied  by  Brigham  Young.  Five 
days  later  a  portion  of  the  "  Mormon  Battalion"  enlisted 
under  the  call  for  troops  for  Mexico — about  one 'hundred 
and  fifty  men — under  Captain  Brown,  who  had  arrived 
escorting  a  company  of  emigrants,  gathered  from  various 
quarters  in  the  East  and  the  Old  "World.  The  men  be- 
longing to  these  two  companies,  at  Young's  command, 
had  left  their  families  at  Council  Bluffs. 

From  Fremont's  reports  ©f  Utah,  we  learn  that  Salt 
Lake  City  was  at  this  time  already  laid  out.  The  men, 
under  Captain  Brown's  command,  were  sent  on  to  join 
General  Scott's  army,  while  the  others  commenced  im- 
provements for  domestic  comfort,  farming  operations  in 
the  vicinity,  etc. ,  and  preparing  for  the  residence  of  the 
Saints,  who  were  still  at  Council  Bluffs  in  sickness,  pov- 
erty, and  discontent.  Getting  matters  into  material 
shape,  Brigham  returned  to  Iowa,  where  his  presence 
seemed  to  inspire  the  waiting  Mormons. 

In  the  spring  of  1848  the  Mormons,  a  company  of 
nineteen  hundred  men,  women,  and  children,  started 
from  Council  Bluffs  for  Salt  Lake.  Colonel  Kane's 
description  of  this  journey  has  all  the  interest  of  a 
romance.  The  distance  was  enormous,  the  perils  of  the 
way  great,  and  the  zeal  of  the  travellers  and  their  cour- 
age under  difficulties,  sufficient  to  try  the  stoutest  hearts, 
were  only  equalled  by  their  faith.  "  It  was  a  pilgrimage 
which  has  not  been  paralleled  in  the  history  of  mankind 
since  Moses  led  the  Israelites  from  Egypt,"  wrote  the 
enthusiastic  Kane.  They  had  sickness,  weariness,  skir- 
mishes with  the  Indians,  and  they  also  had  their  pleas- 
ures and  rewards  in  this  extraordinary  journey  of  several 


126  HEW    LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM. 

months.  They  were  surprised  by  beautiful  scenery,  and 
they  languished  over  dreary  wastes.  Brigham  told  them 
stories,  encouraged  dancing  to  make  them  merry,  and 
had  theatrical  performances  to  distract  their  attention. 
It  was  their  custom,  whenever  the  camp  rested  for  a  few 
days  together,  to  make  great  arbors,  or  "  bowries,"  as 
they  were  called,  for  meetings  of  devotion,  conference, 
and  when  the  ground  was  trodden  firm  as  places  for 
conviviality.  Colonel  Kane's  account  of  a  Mormon  ball 
in  the  wilderness  is  graphic.  "  If  anything  told  the 
Mormons  had  been  bred  to  other  lives,  it  was  the  appear- 
ance of  the  women  as  they  assembled  here,"  he  wrote. 
Before  their  flight  they  had  sold  their  trinkets  to  raise 
ready  money.  The  men  wore  waistcoats  with  useless 
watch-pockets,  and  the  ears  of  the  women  bore  the  loop- 
marks  of  rejected  pendants.  Otherwise  they  lacked 
nothing  becoming  decorous  maidens  and  matrons.  The 
gravest  and  most  trouble- worn  of  the  company  seemed 
the  most  anxious  to  throw  off  the  burden  of  heavy 
thoughts.  To  the  combination  of  violins,  sleigh-bells, 
horns,  and  tambourines  did  they  trip  "  the  light  fantastic 
toe."  French  fours,  Copenhagen  jigs,  Yirginia  reels, 
and  other  figures  were  executed  with  the  spirit  of  people 
too  happy  to  be  slow,  or  bashful,  or  constrained,  from  an 
early  hour  until  the  sun  had  gone  down  behind  the  sharp 
sky  line  of  the  mountains.  Children  were  born,  and 
numbers  died  and  were  buried  on  the  route,  but  they 
pressed  on,  under  their  leader's  direction,  for  the  new 
home  beyond  the  States  and  their  enemies,  arriving  at 
Deseret,  "  the  Land  of  the  Honey-Bee,"  in  the  autumn 
of  1848.  And  now  lands  were  surveyed  and  placed  under 
careful  cultivation,  and  Salt  Lake  City  was  made  habit- 
able ;  and  then  followed  an  era  of  enterprise  and  success 
that  was  as  wonderful  as  it  was  unprecedented  and  con- 


NEW   LIGHT   ON    MORMONISM.  127 

tradictory.  Settlements  were  established  in  every  direc- 
tion, the  soil  was  subdued  and  irrigated  for  cultivation, 
and  the  people  built  the  city  and  the  temple,  and  estab- 
lished mills,  and  workshops,  and  numerous  industries, 
under  the  personal  directions  of  the  ever-watchful 
bishops.  Missionary  corps  were  newly  organized  for  for- 
eign lands,  and  an  Immigration  Fund  established,  which 
soon  resulted  in  a  swarming  influx  to  Utah  from  all  parts 
of  Europe. 

This  "  Immigration  Fund  "  supplied  the  new  converts 
— mainly  from  the  working  classes — from  the  time  they 
left  their  homes  until  they  reached  some  little  farm  in 
Utah,  to  which  each  person  or  family  was  assigned,  and 
was  under  a  'regularly-organized  police  government,  by 
which  the  percentage  of  casualties  and  cost  of  transporta- 
tion were  greatly  lessened.  The  same  system  of  bring- 
ing Mormon  emigrants  to  Utah  is  in  use  at  the  present 
time. 

As  early  as  March,  1849,  a  convention,  or  "  confer- 
ence," was  held  at  Salt  Lake  City  for  the  organization 
of  a  State,  which  was  accomplished  under  the  name  of 
"Deseret." 

Congress  refused  to  accept  the  constitution  which  was 
adopted,  but  elected  the  country  into  a  Territory  in  the 
following  September,  and  President  Fillmore  appointed 
Brigham  Young  its  governor. 

But  troubles  still  followed  the  career  of  the  Mormons. 
The  judges  appointed  by  the  President  for  the  new 
territory  were  driven  out  of  Deseret  by  the  "  Prophet" 
governor.  Colonel  Steptoe,  of  the  United  States  Army, 
was  sent  by  the  President  to  occupy  Brigham's  place. 
He  arrived  in  Utah  with  his  command  in  August,  1854, 
but  he  found  the  Mormons  so  numerous  and  so  belliger- 
ent, and  his  military  escort  was  so  small,  that  he  deemed 


128  NEW   LIGHT   ON   MOKMONISil. 

it  prudent  not  to  assume  the  functions  of  his  office  ;  and 
after  wintering  there  went  to  California  with  his  troops. 

The  effect  of  this  retirement  of  the  troops  was  most 
unfortunate.  From  that  day  the  Mormon  "  Prophet" 
successfully  defied  the  government  and  outwitted  the 
Federal  authorities. 

After  Colonel  Steptoe's  departure,  Brigham  said,  in  a 
sermon  to  his  people  :  "/ am  and  will  he  governor,  and 
no  power  can  hinder  it  until  the  Lord  Almighty  says  : 
'  Brigham,  you,  need  not  he  governor  any  longer.''  " 
Everything  from  that  time  seemed  to  consolidate  his 
power. 

In  February,  1856,  Judge  Drummond,  of  the  United 
States  District  Court,  was  driven  from  his  bench  by  an 
armed  Mormon  mob,  and  he  was  forced  to  adjourn  his 
court,  and  all  the  United  States  Army  officers,  except 
the  Indian  agents,  were  obliged,  by  the  terrible  condition 
of  affairs,  to  leave  the  country. 

The  Mormons  endeavored  to  justify  their  treatment  of 
the  Federal  officers  by  alleging  that  many  of  them  were 
disreputable  and  profligate  —  statements  that  have  a 
foundation  in  truth.  In  1857  Alfred  Cumming,  of 
Missouri,  was  appointed  Governor  of  Utah  by  President 
Buchanan.  At  the  same  time  Judge  Eckels,  of  Indiana, 
was  made  Chief-Justice  of  the  territory.  Colonel  S.  A. 
Johnson,  with  a  body  of  twenty-five  hundred  United 
States  troops,  was  sent  to  protect  them  and  enforce  the 
laws.  The  Mormons  were  greatly  excited  over  the  ap- 
proach of  the  troops,  and  Brigham  Young,  in  his 
capacity  as  governor,  issued  a  proclamation  denouncing 
the  army  as  a  mob,  forbidding  it  to  enter  the  territory, 
and  called  upon  the  people  of  Utah  to  arms  to  repel  its 
advance.  It  was  September  when  the  army  reached  the 
confines  of  Utah,  and,  owing  to  delays,  was  overtaken  by 


NEW   LIGHT   OK    MOKMONISM.  129 

the  snows  of  winter.  A  party  of  mounted  Mormons,  on 
October  5th,  destroyed  several  supply  trains,  captured 
eight  hundred  oxen,  and  drove  them  into  Salt  Lake  City. 
The  army  went  into  winter  quarters  at  Fort  Bridger, 
where  it  suffered  greatly.  Their  expedition  had  been 
fitted  out  with  great  care,  and  cost  our  government 
814,000,000.  October  27th  Governor  Gumming  issued 
his  war  proclamation,  declaring  the  Territory  to  be  in  a 
state  of  rebellion.  Colonel  Kane,  who  had  been  with 
the  Mormons  during  their  last  exodus,  and  seems  to  have 
been  at  this  time  very  much  their  friend  and  confidant 
(if  not  convert),  arrived  at  Salt  Lake  in  1858  with  letters 
from  President  Buchanan,  and  succeeded  in  bringing  the 
hostile  "  Saints"  and  the  governor  sent  to  subdue  them 
into  relations  of  harmony. 

He  was  quickly  followed  by  two  peace  commissioners 
"  offering  pardon  to  all  Mormons  who  would  submit  to 
Federal  authority."  This  "  offer  of  pardon"  was  car- 
ried by  Governor  Powell,  of  Kentucky,  and  Major  Mc- 
Cullough,  of  Texas.  The  conditions  were  accepted  by 
the  heads  of  the  church.  With  a  becoming  considera- 

o 

tiqn  for  this  subdued  people,  the  army  was  stationed 
forty  miles  from  Salt  Lake  City,  where  it  remained  until 
the  spring  of  1860,  and  was  then  withdrawn. 

The  Mormons  were  now  exultant  and  hopeful.  They 
trusted  in  their  prophet,  and  echoed  his  boastful  asser- 
tions that  "nothing  could  harm  them."  He  had  ex- 
hibited a  rare  union  of  reckless  daring  with  the  subtlest 
prudence,  recognizing  a  point  beyond  which  lie  could  not 
go,  which  Joseph  always  failed  to  do  ;  and  though  lack- 
ing the  lion-like  personal  courage  of  the  first  Prophet, 
he  was  more  than  his  equal  in  moral  heroism,  and  the 
mysterious  control  he  exercised  over  his  people. 

During  the  war  for  the  suppression  of  the  great  rebel- 


130  KEW   LIGHT    ON   MORMOXISM. 

lion  the  Mormons  were  in  a  measure  forgotten  and  over- 
looked ;  but  since  that  time  public  attention,  through 
the  facilities  of  travel,  has  been  continuously  turned  in 
that  direction.  The  Pacific  Railway  has  brought  Utah 
in  close  relations  with  the  Eastern  States.  The  isolation 
of  the  "  Saints"  is  again  disturbed  by  tourists,  many  of 
them  distinguished  travellers,  who  have  investigated  the 
exceptional  social  system  of  this  people  through  the  for- 
bearance of  their  leaders. 

On  the  5th  of  October,  1869,  Yice-President  Colfax, 
at  the  time  a  visitor  at  Salt  Lake  City,  was  invited  to 
make  a  speech  from  the  portico  of  the  Townsend  House. 
He  embraced  the  opportunity  to  tell  the  Mormons  his 
opinion  of  polygamy  in  a  bold  and  fearless  way.  "  It 
seemed  to  break  the  spell  of  the  Prophet's  authority,' ' 
and  the  wildest  excitement  ensued  among  his  people. 
The  Schismatics,  under  the  leadership  of  one  Harrison, 
established  a  paper  called  the  Mormon  Tribune,  and 
organized  a  liberal  movement.  They  and  all  the  dis- 
affected were  cut  off  from  the  church. 

On  the  other  hand,  Brigham  and  the  leading  magnates 
stood  their  ground  firmly.  John  Taylor  (the  present 
high  priest,  ruler,  and  president  of  the  Mormons),  the 
leading  mind  and  the  best  writer  among  them,  answered 
Mr.  Colfax  by  a  letter  in  the  New  York  Tribune  of  No- 
vember 19th,  1869,  in  which  he  very  cleverly  disputed 
all  his  arguments  and  most  of  the  assertions  he  had  made 
at  Salt  Lake  City. 

The  Tribune  of  the  Schismatics  was  hopefully  received 
by  certain  people  in  Utah,  as  it  professed  to  aim  to  break 
down  bigotry  and  fanaticism,  to  foster  ideas  in  harmony 
with  the  age,  and  to  be  in  direct  opposition  to  polygamy  ; 
but  the  attempt  to  bring  Morrnonism  into  agreement 
and  adjustment  with  the  accepted  standards  of  the  civ- 


NEW   LIGHT   ON  MOKMONIS5I.  131 

ilized  world  as  to  right  and  wrong  soon  grew  to  be  an 
absurdity. 

New  "  revelations"  were  announced  by  these  opposers 
of  the  Prophet,  but  their  publication  made  no  difference 
in  the  general  estimate  of  the  situation  of  affairs.  In 
1870  Miss  Anna  Dickinson  made  the  following  state- 
ments concerning  Brigham  Young,  in  her  popular  lecture 
entitled  "  Whited  Sepulchres  :" 

All  this  vast  machinery  is  controlled  by  a  single  mind  ;  he  is  the 
fourth  largest  depositor  in  the  Bank  of  England  ;  he  controls  the 
largest  emigration  fund  in  the  world,  whose  emissaries  appeal  to  the 
poor,  and  homeless,  and  destitute,  and  ignorant,  and  misguided  of 
all  lands,  with  tho  offer  of  a  home,  and  a  free  passage  to  it,  etc. 
Yet  he  it  was  who,  through  his  trained  assassins  disguised  as  Indians, 
committed  the  Mountain  Meadow  massacre,  and  by  whose  order 
"William  Hickman  committed  over  four  hundred  murders  in  Utah. 

Brigham  Young  was  treated  with  the  consideration  of  a  "  political 
offender,"  and  while  the  people  of  the  United  States  organized  power- 
ful agencies  for  the  conversion  of  the  heathen  abroad,  it  is  justly  said 
we  neglect  to  interpose  an  enlightened  Christianity  in  behalf  of  the 
victims  of  Mormonism. 

Of  the  many  items  of  interest  concerning  the  second 
"  Prophet,"  the  following  is  given  by  an  English  writer 
on  Mormonism  : 

Brigham  Young  was  sent  with  others  to  England  to  preach  the 
Gospel.  They  landed  at  Liverpool,  April  6th,  1840,  partook  of  the 
sacrament,  and  commenced  preaching.  They  were  penniless,  and  de- 
pendent on  their  enemies  for  support — which  at  first  was  small— and 
Brigham  suffered  much  and  often.  He  superintended  affairs,  issued 
an  edition  of  the  '  Book  of  Mormon,'  inaugurated  the  publication  of 
the  '  Millennial  Star,'  and  on  April  30th,  18-11,  shipped  seven  hundred 
and  sixty-nine  converts  to  Nauvoo,  sailing  himself  with  them,  and 
leaving  many  Mormon  organizations  and  churches  well  established 
behind  him. 

This  was  but  one  of  his  many  "  missions,"  all  of  which 
seem  to  have  been  successful. 


132  NEW   LIGHT   ON   MOKMONISM. 

The  anniversary  of  the  day  on  which  Brigham  Young 
(with  the  heads  of  the  church)  arrived  at  Salt  Lake  City 
is  still  observed  and  celebrated  ;  hence  the  24th  of  July 
is  the  great  national  day  with  the  Mormons,  instead  of 
the  4th  of  July. 

The  second  Prophet  inaugurated  a  military  corps 
known  as  "  Minute  Men,"  which  was  quite  distinct  from 
the  "  Danites."  It  was  a  well-drilled  company  of 
armed  men,  taking  the  character  of  a  militia  held  in  re- 
serve for  general  defence.  The  Danites  were  also  well 
organized,  in  a  military  point  of  view,  with  habits  of 
undying  watchfulness  and  hardy  enterprise,  acquired  by  a 
long  experience  of  continued  conflict  with  the  Gentiles. 
Ever  on  their  guard,  skilled  in  all  the  arts  of  wood-craft, 
able  to  read  as  on  a  printed  page  upon  the  desert — by 
which  many  of  their  homes  were  surrounded — those 
signs  which  to  inexperienced  eyes  would  pass  unnoticed, 
familiar  with  the  laws  of  life  and  climate  which  charac- 
terize their  country,  and  thus  enabled  to  turn  all  to  their 
own  advantage  as  against  strangers,  and,  more  than  all, 
familiar  with  the  wild  passes  and  deep  mountain  gorges 
through  which  all  approach  at  that  time  could  be  made, 
they  seem  to  have  been  in  possession  of  many  elements 
of  strength  to  use  for  their  own  ends  and  in  self-defence. 
Some  of  the  most  horrible  deeds  of  violence  against  the 
enemies  of  Mormonism  in  Illinois,  Missouri,  and  Utah 
have  been  committed  by  this  "  band."  It  is  denied  by 
the  Saints  at  the  present  time  that  such  an  organization 
now  exists,  if  it  ever  existed  ;  but  the  truth  in  this  mat- 
ter is  too  fully  established  to  admit  of  a  doubt  as  to  the 
past,  and  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  any  un- 
usual hostility  shown  to  the  Mormons  by  individuals  or 
the  Government  would  prove  that  the  "  Danites"  are 
not  all  dead. 


NEW   LIGHT   O5T   MORMONISM.  133 

Mormonism  in  Utali  has  always  been  associated  with 
the  Mountain  Meadow  Massacre,  the  most  shocking 
event  in  its  history.  The  following  brief  account  of  this 
horror  has  been  taken  from  the  most  reliable  sources 
extant. 

In  the  year  1857  there  were  two  trains  of  emigrants 
crossing  the  plains,  with  the  intention  of  going  to  South- 
ern California — one  from  Missouri  and  one  from  Arkan- 
sas. The  former  was  made  up  of  men  who  called  them- 
selves "Missouri  Wild  Cats  ;"  the  other  a  company  of 
highly  respectable  persons,  who  had  many  indications  of 
wealth  and  ease,  that  were  seeking  a  new  home.  They 
travelled  leisurely  through  the  week  and  rested  on  Sun- 
days. There  were  men,  women,  and  children  of  every 
age  among  them,  and  many  families  related  to  each 
other  by  the  ties  of  consanguinity  and  marriage.  They 
were  generally  Methodists,  and  had  morning  and  evening 
prayers. 

The  "  Wild  Cats"  contracted  a  high  respect  for  them, 
and  came  as  near  them  in  travelling  as  the  methods  of 
the  camp  at  night  would  allow.  Like  all  other  pilgrims 
of  the  time  toward  "  the  golden  Pacific  coast,"  the  emi- 
grants counted  upon  recruiting  at  Salt  Lake  City,  while 
camping  by  the  side  of  the  river  Jordan.  Ordinarily  the 
Mormons  were  glad  to  see  the  arrival  of  Gentile  emi- 
grants en  route  for  the  far  West,  as  it  gave  occasion  for 
trade  and  barter  ;  but  certain  events  had  changed  the 
spirit  of  the  people.  Federal  troops  were  then  advanc- 
ing toward  Zion,  and  the  Saints  were  preparing  for  a  de- 
fence of  their  homes.  The  Missouri  company,  it  has 
been  asserted,  boasted  on  the  way  that  they  had  helped 
to  drive  the  Mormons  from  their  State,  and  that  they 
intended  to  further  assist  the  approaching  United  States 
troops  to  "  wipe  out  the  Mormons." 


134  2sTEW   LIGHT   ON   MOKMOSISM. 

The  alleged  animus  against  the  other  company  was 
that  Orley  P.  Pratt,  the  Mormon  apostle,  missionary, 
etc. ,  had  been  recently  shot  in  Arkansas  by  Hector  Mc- 
Lean for  an  attempt  to  steal  his  children  and  send  them 
to  their  mother  in  Utah,  who  years  before  had  been  con- 
verted to  the  Mormon  faith  in  California,  and  had  subse- 
quently become  one  of  the  wives  of  Pratt.  McLean  was 
not  arrested  for  this  act,  as  Mormonism  and  the  apostles 
were  unpopular.  Brigham  Young,  as  Governor  of  Utah 
and  a  sworn  officer  of  the  United  States,  was  in  honor 
bound  to  protect  these  two  companies  of  emigrants  that 
were  resting  by  the  Jordan.  Those  from  Arkansas  were 
told  to  move  on,  and  they  took  up  their  line  of  travel 
for  Los  Angeles.  From  this  time  they  were  made  to 
suffer  discomforts  of  many  kinds  by  the  way  ;  the  Mor- 
mons denied  them  provisions  of  every  kind  and  food  for 
their  cattle.  The  Indians  were  their  only  friends,  and 
sold  them  all  the  corn  they  had  to  spare.  They  halted 
at  Cedar  City  one  day,  and  then  started  on  that  fatal  trip 
which  soon  came  to  a  conclusion  that  has  shocked  the 
whole  civilized  world.  The  fourth  day  after  the  emi- 
grants left  Cedar  City,  a  regiment  of  Mormon  militia, 
under  the  command  of  Major  John  D.  Lee,  left  that 
place  in  pursuit  of  them.  This  militia  had  the  "  make 
up"  of  a  military  force  in  the  field,  with  the  exception  of 
artillery.  Lee  invited  the  Piede  Indians  to  accompany 
him,  and  with  these  auxiliaries  he  had  a  force  that  could 
not  be  resisted  by  the  poor  hungry  emigrants, 

At  Mountain  Meadows  the  victims  were  overtaken. 
They  had  "  rolled  out"  from  camp  ignorant  of  the 
danger  which  awaited  them  ;  and  when  fairly  en  route 
the  Indians  commenced  firing  upon  them.  The  emi- 
grants were  taken  completely  by  surprise.  They  had  no 


NEW   LIGHT   ON    HORMONISM.  135 

idea  that  the  military  expedition  had  been  sent  against 
them  until  they  saw  and  felt  it.  They  were  not  con- 
fused, however,  hut  immediately  corralled  their  wagons 
and  prepared  for  defence,  but  were,  alas  !  too  far  from 
water.  For  four  days  they  fought  the  soldiers  and 
Indians  heroically.  At  the  end  of  the  second  day  Major 
Lee  sent  for  re-enforcements,  which  arrived  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  fourth  day's  fight.  During  the  third  day's 
battle  it  became  a  necessity  with  the  emigrants  to  get 
water.  It  was  in  plain  sight,  but  covered  with  the  rifles 
of  the  troops.  Hoping  that  the  Mormons  might  have 
some  pity  on  them,  they  dressed  two  little  girls  in  white 
and  sent  them  with  a  bucket  in  the  direction  of  the 
spring.  The  soldiers  shot  them  down  !  The  morning 
of  the  fourth  day  Lee  told  the  men  under  his  command 
that  his  orders  from  headquarters  were  "  to  kill  the 
entire  company  except  the  children. ' '  He  sent  a  flag  of 
truce  to  them,  offering  to  them,  if  they  would  lay  down 
their  arms,  to  protect  them.  What  could  the  men  do 
but  believe  in  this  promise  ?  They  marched  out  of  their 
little  fort,  laid  down  their  arms,  and  marched  up  to  the 
spring  where  Lee  stood,  and  placed  themselves  under  his 
protection.  The  line  of  march  was  then  taken  up,  and 
after  the  distance  of  half  a  mile  had  been  traversed  Lee 
gave  the  command  to  halt ;  then  immediately  the  com- 
mand to  shoot  them  down.  A  long  wail  of  agony  from 
the  surviving  women  and  little  ones  who  had  followed 
their  fathers,  husbands,  and  brothers  is  beyond  the 
powers  of  description.  All  the  men  had  been  slain. 
Another  scene  followed  too  revolting  to  be  told,  wherein 
these  Mormon  demons  were  allowed  to  commit  the  last 
outrage  on  these  poor  women.  They  were  then  killed, 
and  the  whole  company  stripped  of  their  clothing  and 


136  NEW    LIGHT   ON"   MOEMONISM. 

left  without  burial.     Seventeen  children  were  saved,  and 
afterward  distributed  in  Mormon  families.* 

In  1859  General  Carlton  raised  a  cairn  of  stones  over 
the  bleached  skeletons  of  the  emigrants.  On  one  of  the 
stones  he  caused  to  be  written  :  "  Here  lie  the  bones  of 


*  An  Englishman,  who,  while  still  very  young,  married  a  Mor- 
mon woman,  but  was  not  himself  a  convert  to  the  faith,  has 
related  to  his  son  the  incidents  of  a  journey  he  made  from  Utah  to 
California  the  year  after  the  horrible  butchery  of  the  emigrants  at 
Mountain  Meadow.  He  saw  the  skeletons  of  some  of  the  victims, 
and  a  fine  gold  watch  which  had  been  found  close  to  this  locality, 
and  from  certain  marks  was  known  to  have  belonged  to  some  one 
of  them.  Farther  on  in  this  journey  he  visited  a  village  where 
some  children  of  the  emigrants  were  housed  by  different  Mormon 
families.  Only  one  of  them  was  old  enough  to  remember  and  tell  of 
the  story  of  the  massacre.  The  fate  of  that  child  is  uncertain,  but 
the  others  were  sent  to  their  relatives  in  the  East  for  adoption. 
One  of  that  fated  band  who  were  en  route  for  California  escaped, 

and,  as  Mr.  relates,  reached  a  settlement  beyond  Utah,  where 

he  believed  he  was  in  safety  ;  but  the  Indian  savages  employed  by 
the  Mormons  in  the  fiendish  work  hunted  him  down,  caught  him 
unaware,  and  actually  filled  his  body  with  arrows. 

An  English  lady  who  has  visited  Utah  during  her  travels  in  America 
is  responsible  for  the  following  story.  She  says  it  was  related  to  her 
by  a  missionary  teacher  to  whom  the  experience  occurred,  in  Utah. 
The  lady  teacher  asked  a  neighbor,  a  carpenter,  to  make  some  repairs 
to  the  schoolhouse.  The  work  was  accomplished  at  noon-time,  while 
the  children  were^away,  and  the  man  said  one  day  :  "  I  believe  you  are 
a  Christian,  and  I  want  to  ask  if  you  think  I  can  be  forgiven  for  help- 
ing in  the  Mountain  Meadow  Massacre  ?  I  want  to  tell  you  ;  it  is  on 
my  mind  all  the  time  ;  but  if  you  betray  me  my  life  will  be  of  no  ac- 
count." The  teacher  said  she  would  not  betray  his  confidence,  and 
she  believed,  whatever  his  sins  might  be,  they  would  be  forgiven  if 
he  repented  of  them. 

The  carpenter  then  told  her  how  a  lovely,  golden-haired  little  girl 
was  sent  to  a  spring  for  water  that  dreadful  day,  and  that  he  was  one 
of  those  commanded  to  shoot  her  down.  That  her  look  of  entreaty 
was  forever  before  his  eyes— and  then  the  strong  man  wept  at  the 
remembrance,  while  making  this  confession,  of  a  barbarity  that  he 
dared  not  refuse  to  accomplish. 


NEW    LIGHT   ON"    MORMONISM.  137 

one  hundred  and  twenty  men,  women,  and  children  from 
Arkansas,  murdered  on  the  Wth  day  of  September, 
1857."  Upon  a  cross-beam  lie  caused  to  be  painted  : 
"  Vengeance  is  mine,  saith  the  Lord,  and  I  will  repay 
it." 

Brigham  Young  ordered  this  monument  to  be  de- 
stroyed, and  said  the  inscription  should  have  read  : 
"  Yengeance  is  mine,  saith  the  Lord,  and  I  have  repaid 
it."  John  D.  Lee  was  tried  and  executed  by  our  Gov- 
ernment for  his  part  in  the  Mountain  Meadow  butchery. 
He  was  but  the  instrument  of  Brigham  Young's  hatred 
to  McLean  and  the  Gentile's  generally,  and  was  bound  to 
carry  out  the  malignant  wishes  of  his  leader,  however  will- 
ing or  unwilling  he  may  have  been  to  do  so.  To  Mormons 
freedom  of  thought  is  as  impossible,  it  is  said,  as  to  idiots 
and  to  slaves.  Elder  W.  C.  Penrose,  a  church  magnate, 
and  editor,  at  the  present  time,  of  the  Deseret  News, 
the  official  church  paper,  has  recently  been  giving,  on 
successive  Sunday  evenings  in  Salt  Lake  City,  some  care- 
fully-prepared lectures  on  "  Blood  Atonement"  and 
"Mountain  Meadow  Massacre"  —themes  upon  which 
hitherto  a  discreet  silence  has  been  kept,  or,  if  alluded  to, 
have  been  called  "  absurd  Gentile  lies"  and  "  mere 
bugaboos."  "  His  line  of  defence  (writes  a  correspond- 
ent of  a  Boston  paper)  concerning  the  ruthless  slaughter 
of  the  emigrants,  is  that  they  did  evil  things  against  the 
Indians  of  Southern  Utah,  and  that  three  or  four  wicked 
bishops  in  those  parts  concluded  not  to  let  them  escape 
from  the  Territory  alive,  but  wrote  to  Brigham  Young 
for  advice,  and  then  helped  the  redskins  to  cut  their 
throats  before  the  messenger  returned.  The  Mormon 
monarch  knew  nothing  of  the  shocking  performance 
until  some  weeks  later,  and  for  thirteen  years  was  duped 
into  the  belief  that  only  Indians  were  concerned  in  it. 


138  NEW   LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM. 

Alas  for  Penrose  !  the  facts  are  against  his  theory. 
There  is  not  a  shadow  of  doubt  that  Brigham  knew  the 
whole  story,  and  that  for  nineteen  years  he  did  his  best 
to  conceal  the  facts  and  shield  the  criminals  from  jus- 
tice. "  It  is  said  that  he  gave  Lee  several  new  wives  as  a 
reward  for  conducting  the  massacre.  The  policy  of  the 
Mormons  in  regard  to  the  Indians,  whom  they  call 
"  Lamenites,"  from  the  first  has  been  to  conciliate  them 
in  every  way  ;  that  every  tribe  should  be  visited  by  their 
missionaries,  to  instruct  them  in  their  faith,  and  by  inter- 
marriage and  every  other  means  to  bring  them  under 
Mormon  control.  This  influence  has  been  used  to  preju- 
dice the  red  men  against  the  United  States  Government 
and  to  stir  up  the  tribes  to  open  hostilities  toward  un- 
protected settlements  ;  and  in  cases  of  collision  between 
the  Mormons  and  United  States  troops  to  assist  their 
professed  friends,  the  Saints.  The  Danites  and  the  Ind- 
ians have  been  allies  in  ambush  fights  and  murders  of 
travellers  through  the  Territories  ;  and  in  many  horrible 
deeds  of  violence,  where  innocent  men,  women,  and 
children  on  the  frontiers  have  been  slain  by  the  red 
men,  the  incentive  for  vengeance  has  been  given  by 
Mormon  agents.  Men  wise  in  the  affairs  of  our  nation 
and  in  the  policy  of  the  Mormon  Church  have  predicted 
that  if  Uncle  Sam  ever  rigidly  attempts  to  abolish  polyg- 
amy and  to  force  the  Saints  into  an  outward  show  of 
morality,  there  will  be  serious  trouble  ;  that  a  civil  war 
will  eventuate,  in  which  the  "  Lamenites"  and  the  Mor- 
mons will  act  as  a  unit  against  the  Gentiles.  The  Ind- 
ians are  commonly  called  "  the  Battle-axes  of  the  Lord  " 
throughout  the  Territory.  They  are  a  most  degraded 
people,  the  Mormon  missionaries  having  done  little  or 
nothing  toward  their  civilization.  Some  of  the  terrible 
deeds  attributed  to  the  Larneuites  have  been  committed 


LIGHT  ON  MORMONISM:.  139 

by  Mormons  painted  and  dressed  as  Indians,  as  the  fol- 
lowing extract  will  prove  : 

"  I  am  in  possession  of  the  evidence  that  bands  of  these  Salt  Lake 
Mormons,  armed,  dressed,  and  painted — having  the  appearance  of 
Indians — are  stationed  on  the  way  to  California  and  Oregon,  for  the 
purpose  of  robbing  the  emigrants.  Many  murders  and  robberies 
have  already  been  committed  by  these  demons  in  human  shape, 
•which  have  been  published  to  the  world  and  attributed  to  the  Ind- 
ians. ...  *  "WiiiiAM  SMITH." 

William  was  the  Prophet's  brother,  and  wrote  the  above  nearly 
eight  years  before  the  "  Mountain  Meadow  Massacre." 


*  "  Melchizedek  and  Aaronic  Herald."     By  Isaac  Sheen.     Vol.  I., 
No.  8.     Coviugton,  Ky.,  February,  1849. 


CHAPTER    XL* 

Polygamy   in  Utah — The  Granting  of  Woman's  Suffrage  in  1871 — 
The  Edmunds  Bill — Sketch  of  Brigham  Young. 

THE  sons  of  Joseph  Smith,  the  first  Mormon  Prophet, 
have  denied  that  their  father  practised  or  approved  of 
polygamy  at  any  time  in  his  career  ;  but  the  evidence 
against  such  assertion  is  so  strong  and  multiplied  that  we 
cannot  fail  to  accept  it.  The  best  authorities  upon  this 
subject  state  that  it  was  both  preached  and  practised  by 
Smith  and  his  followers  at  Nauvoo,  much  to  the  horror 
and  disgust  of  his  first  wife.  Indeed,  it  was  one  of  the 
sins  of  the  Mormons  at  Nauvoo  which  their  neighbors 
held  in  the  greatest  dislike,  and  which  made  up  the  sum 
total  of  a  depravity  which  they  determined  to  be  rid  of 
at  any  sacrifice.  It  was  Brigham  Young's  policy  imme- 
diately after  the  settlement  of  the  Saints  in  Zion  to  have 
a  "revelation"  concerning  polygamy,  or  "celestial 
marriage,"  for  his  people.  He  told  them  the  "  peculiar 
institution"  should  have  the  fulness  of  its  glory  in  Utah, 
"  where  the  faithful  can  sit  under  their  own  vine  and 
fig-tree,  none  daring  to  make  them  afraid."  Marriage' 
was  no  longer  a  civil  contract ;  it  was  to  be  a  sacrament 
of  the  church  and  a  sacred  tenet  of  the  faith.  Never- 
theless, Utah  belonged  to  the  United  States,  and  it  was 

*  Frequent  quotations  are  made  in  this  chapter  from  Mrs.  Joseph 
Cook's  "  Face  to  Face  with  Mormonism,"  read  before  the  Woman's 
Home  Missionary  meeting  in  Boston,  March  27th,  1884,  and  Miss 
Kate  Field's  lecture  entitled  the  "  Mormon  Monster,"  delivered  in 
Boston,  in  the  autumn  of  1884. 


NEW   LIGHT  ON   MORMONISM.  141 

uncertain  what  Congress  might  wish  to  do  with  such  a 
direct  innovation  upon  Christianity.  His  mind  grasped 
the  conclusion  that  there  was  power  in  numbers.  It 
would  be  difficult  to  deal  with  a  whole  people  for  an  in- 
fraction of  the  law  ;  he  would  make  an  ostentatious  show 
of  a  plurality  of  wives,  which  should  be  a  virtue  and  not 
an  indiscretion.  He  made  constant  arguments  in  favor 
of  polygamy  in  the  Tabernacle  in  winter,  and  in  the 
open-air  places  of  worship  in  summer.  He  said  the 
world  was  rapidly  hastening  to  a  close,  and  there  were 
multitudes  of  spirits  in  the  other  world  waiting  for  hon- 
orable bodies,  in  which  they  could  dwell  in  the  flesh. 
The  Gentiles  were  corrupt,  and  the  ethereal  spirits  were 
waiting  anxiously  for  the  favors  of  the  Mormons.  This 
argument  was  considered  lucid  ;  it  appealed  to  the 
grandest  sentiment  of  humanity— self-abnegation.  The 
women  would  be  selfish  if  they  could  not  endure  the 
wandering  atfections  of  their  lords  and  masters.  It  was 
their  duty  to  make  a  self-sacrifice  !  The  greatest  of  all 
the  human  family  had  given  His  life  to  redeem  ;  why 
could  they  not  help  to  save  ?  From  that  time  the 
women  of  Utah  have  not  only  made  the  sacrifice  of  the 
most  vital  principle  of  their  souls,  but  have  willingly  or 
unwillingly  submitted  to  a  life  of  daily  affliction  for  the 
sake  of  an  article  of  faith. 

An  authority  upon  Mormonism  has  written  :  "  "Who- 
ever has  read  debasement  in  the  women  of  Utah  has 
done  them  injustice.  Some  there  be  who  are  devoid  of 
refined  sentiment  and  the  nobler  instincts  of  their  sex,  but 
no  women  in  history  ever  deserved  more  respect  and 
sympathy  than  the  true  women  among  the  Mormons." 
They  are  taught  to  believe  that  polygamy  is  a  divine  in- 
stitution, required  in  these  latter  days  to  regenerate  and 
sanctify  a  world  steeped  in  wickedness.  They  have 


142  NEW  LIGHT  ON  MOKMONISJl. 

endured  the  most  heartrending  sorrows,  while  the  men 
have  been  told  that  he  is  noblest  who  values  the  com- 
panionship of  the  soul  the  least,  that  his  wife  is  but  the 
mother  of  his  children.  Thus  the  poor  Mormon  women 
are  often  placed  upon  the  level  of  the  most  inferior  ani- 
mals. One  of  the  noted  of  the  apostles  said  :  "  We 
think  no  more  of  taking  another  woman  than  we  do  of 
buying  another  cow."  The  women  of  Utah  have  ever 
lived  in  constant  dread  of  the  time  when  their  husbands 
would  be  obliged  by  church  command  to  become  prac- 
tical polygamists.  They  have  had  a  fearful  struggle  be- 
tween obedience  to  the  supposed  laws  of  the  Deity,  as 
taught  by  the  Mormon  priesthood,  and  the  wishes  of 
their  own  natures.  However  pure,  however  true  these 
poor  women  may  be  when  converted  to  Mormonism,  is 
it  remarkable  that,  under  the  influences  by  which  they 
are  surrounded,  they  become  living  martyrs  f  What 
days  of  silent  grief  and  misery  they  must  endure  !  The 
story  of  such  women  can  never  be  told.  The  Mormon 
men  have  claimed  that  the  women  "  get  used  to  plural 
marriage,  and  are  happy  in  it."  It  is  a  libel  upon  the 
nature  of  woman  to  believe  this  statement  for  a  moment. 
No  woman  ever  desired  to  share  her  husband  with  an- 
other woman,  and  no  husband  could  ever  please  two 
wives.  Polygamy  has  enslaved  the  Mormon  men,  while 
it  has  martyrized  the  Mormon  women.  Brigham  Young 
openly  avowed  that  when  Joseph  Smith  gave  him  "  the 
order"  for  the  first  time  that  it  was  a  great  trial  to  his 
soul.  The  locks  of  an  apostle  turned  white  in  a  single 
night,  it  is  said,  when  he  was  "  commanded  "  to  take 
another  wife.  In  the  earlier  days  of  Mormon  life  in  the 
mountains  the  elders  made  no  concealment  of  their 
courtships.  The  maiden  in  her  teens  would  be  escorted 
by  the  already  married  intended  husband  of  twice  or 


NEW  LIGHT  ON  MORMONISM.  143 

thrice  her  years  to  places  of  public  festivity,  with  all  the 
attention  of  a  romantic  and  love-stricken  youth.  When 
the  day  of  marriage  arrived,  the  bridegroom  and  his 
wife,  and  the  bride  with  the  relatives  and  invited  guests, 
assembled  in  some  place  appointed  for  the  ceremony. 
A  scribe  proceeded  to  carefully  record  the  names,  ages, 
native  towns,  States,  and  country  of  the  parties  to  be 
married.  •  Brigham  Young,  who  was  the  president,  seer, 
Prophet,  re velator,  etc. ,  and  alone  held  the  ' '  keys' '  of 
this  solemn  ordinance,  called  upon  the  bridegroom  and 
his  wife  and  the  bride  to  stand  before  him,  the  wife  on 
the  left  hand  of  her  husband,  the  bride  to  stand  on  her 
left.  The  wife  was  then  called  upon  to  place  the  hand 
of  the  bride  in  that  of  her  husband,  if  she  was  willing  to 
give  the  woman  to  her  husband  "to  be  his  lawful 
wedded  wife  for  time  and  all  eternity."  The  president 
concluded  the  ceremony  by  saying  : 

" In  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  by  the 
authority  of  the  Holy  Priesthood,  I  pronounce  you 
legally  and  lawfully  husband  and  wife  for  time  and 
for  all  eternity  /  and  I  seal  upon  you  the  blessings  of 
the  holy  resurrection,  with  power  to  come  forth  in  the 
morning  of  the  first  resurrection  clothed  with  glory,  im- 
mortality, and  eternal  lives  /  and  I  seal  upon  you  the 
blessings  of  thrones,  and  dominions,  and  principalities, 
and  powers,  and  exaltations,  together  with  the  blessings 
of  Abraham,,  Isaac,  and  Jacob  ;  and  say  unto  you,  Be 
fruitful,  and  multiply,  and  replenish  the  earth,  that 
you  may  have  joy  and  rejoicing  in  your  posterity,  in 
the  day  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  All  these  blessings, 
together  with  all  other  blessings  pertaining  to  the  new 
and  everlasting  covenant,  I  seal  upon  your  heads, 
through  your  faithfulness  unto  the  end,  by  the  authority 


144  NEW  LIGHT  ON   MORMONISM. 

of  the  Holy  Priesthood,  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and 
of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.     Amen." 

The  scribe  then  entered  on  the  general  record  the  date 
and  place  of  the  marriage,  with  the  names  of  witnesses. 

This  was  the  fashion  of  "sealing"  by  President 
Young  in  "  the  good  old  days,"  when  the  ceremony  was 
performed  with  as  much  ostentation  as  the  parties  could 
afford,  openly,  and  without  the  slightest  attempt  at  con- 
cealment. Plural  marriages  have  latterly  been  made,  in 
a  much  quieter  manner,  but  with  the  same  form.  Brigr 
ham  drove  a  thriving  trade  both  in  marrying  and  divorc- 
ing the  Saints.  He  said  these  services  "  supplied  his 
wives  with  pocket  money."  With  all  the  commanding 
influence  of  his  position  he  could  not  silence  the  bicker- 
ing and  unhappiness  in  his  own  household,  until  lie 
threatened  to  divorce  all  his  wives,  and  told  them  that  if 
they  despised  the  order  of  heaven  he  -would  pray  that 
they  would  be  cursed  by  the  Almighty.  After  such 
violence  they  "  schooled  themselves  into  silence  and 
submission."  In  1873  T.  B.  H.  Stenhouse  (twenty 
years  a  Mormon  elder  and  missionary,  and  later  an  apos- 
tate), in  his  "  Rocky  Mountain  Saints,"  wrote  of  polyg- 
amy as  follows  :  "  Thirty  years  of  its  practice  under  the 
most  favorable  circumstances  have  stamped  it  as  a  wither- 
ing curse."  The  doctrine  of  plural  marriages  is  not 
made  prominent  when  Mormon  missionaries  seek  to 
make  converts  in  foreign  lands.  When  the  trains  loaded 
with  emigrants  reach  Salt  Lake  City  the  apostles  and 
dignitaries  of  the  church  gather  to  receive  them,  and 
select  fairer  and  more  youthful  inmates  for  their  harems. 
A  young  girl  from  Sweden,  not  more  than  eighteen 
years  of  age,  was  thus  selected  by  one  of  the  twelve 
apostles — a  man  of  sixty.  She  acknowledged  that  the 
union  with  so  high  a  dignitary  of  the  church  would  con- 


NEW   LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM.  145 

fer  great  honor  upon  her,  but  confessed  that  a  young 
countryman  of  hers  had  won  her  affections  during  the 
voyage,  and  that  she  was  to  be  married  to  him  the  fol- 
lowing day.  She  supposed  this  statement  would  be 
sufficient,  but  was  told  that  she  must  not  resist  the 
wishes  of  one  of  the  anointed  in  Israel.  The  expectant 
bridegroom  was  interviewed  by  a  bishop,  but  with  no 
better  success.  Such  contumacy  was  surprising.  The 
will  of  one  of  the  twelve  must  not  be  gainsaid.  That 
night  the  girl  was  forced  into  his  harem.  The  lover  was 
found  the  next  morning-  in  a  glen  of  the  Wahsatach 
Mountains,  alive,  but  mutilated. 

All  Mormons  are  not  polygamists,  but  the  priesthood 
urges  the  practice  of  polygamy  on  their  followers, 
particularly  upon  young  men  of  talent,  influence,  and 
independence  of  character.  It  keeps  them  in  the 
church  ;  for  if  such  an  one  were  to  apostatize,  a  Mormon 
jury  would  require  very  slight  evidence  to  find  him 
guilty  of  bigamy.  The  idea  of  taking  a  second  wife  to 
a  man  who  is  happily  married  is  at  first  extremely  dis- 
tasteful if  he  is  at  all  sensitive  ;  but  a  woman  who  was 
for  thirty-five  years  in  the  Mormon  Church  says  "  no 
matter  what  a  man  may  be,  if  he  receives  Mormonism  a-s 
a  whole,  and  governs  himself  by  its  teachings,  he  be- 
comes hopelessly  bad."  Wife-whipping  is  not  uncom- 
mon in  Utah.  It  is  a  saying  there  that  a  man  who  is 
good  at  managing  his  cattle  will  be  able  to  manage  his 
women.  The  question  has  often  been  asked  what  in- 
duces women  to  go  into  "  plurality"  when  they  are  ac- 
quainted with  its  horrors.  It  is  to  them  a  duty  to  be 
performed,  no  matter  what  the  sacrifice  may  cost  them 
— in  short,  it  is  their  religion.  They  affirm  that  there 
is  no  salvation  without  it.  They  confess  to  their  Gentile 
friends  that  they  never  see  a  day's  happiness  after  their 


146  NEW   LIGHT  ON  MORMONISil. 

husbands  take  the  second  wife,  but  they  yield  to  that 
sound  Mormon  doctrine  that  "  the  first  duty  of  a  woman 
is  submission,  the  second  silence."  The  following  story 
is  from  the  lips  of  the  first  wife  of  Orley  Pratt,  one  of 
the  most  intellectually  gifted  of  the  Mormon  leaders. 
At  the  time  of  its  relation  she  was  sixty  years  of  age  and 
in  delicate  health.  Mrs.  Pratt  is  said  to  have  "  a  refined 
manner  and  unusual  strength  of  character."  Mrs.  Pratt 
and  her  husband  were  married  young,  and  for  love. 
They  became  Mormons  when  there  was  very  little  said 
of  polygamy  among  them  or  it  was  a  prominent  feature 
of  their  faith.  They  had  three  sons,  of  whom  they  were 
proud,  and  they  were  happy  in  each  other.  Orley 
Pratt  developed  great  powers  of  oratory,  which  made 
him  acceptable  as  a  preacher  at  home  and  missionary 
abroad.  In  these  days  Brigham  Young  found  fault  with 
him  for  being  such  a  strict  monogamist.  It  was  a  bad 
example  for  the  young  men.  This  went  on  for  three 
years,  a  season  of  anguish  to  both  husband  and  wife, 
particularly  to  her,  as  she  saw  that  the  president's  insidi- 
ous influence  was  gaining  ground  with  him.  He  told 
her  it  was  his  duty  to  yield  to  the  teachings  of  Christ. 
At  last  he  yielded,  although  reluctantly.  The  second 
wife  did  not  come  into  their  family,  and  Mrs.  Pratt  says 
her  husband  was  as  wretched  as  herself  ;  but  this  feeling 
wore  away  with  him,  and  then  she  had  only  begun  to 
drink  of  the  bitter  cup.  A  third,  fourth,  and  fifth  wife 
was  added,  but  were  not  admitted  into  the  house  of  the 
first  wife,  where  her  children  were  growing  up.  Mrs. 
Pratt  began  to  see  the  effect  of  this  unnatural  mode  of 
life  upon  her  husband.  His  affections  seemed  blunted. 
Pie  was  indifferent  to  her  and  her  children.  In  the 
earlier  stages  of  this  man's  polygamous  career  he  spent 
most  of  his  time  with  the  wife  of  his  youth,  visiting  his 


NEW   LIGHT   ON  MO  RMONISM:.  147 


other  wives  at  rare  intervals.  As  a  crowning  insult  to 
her,  he  informed  her  that  henceforth  he  should  divide 
his  time  equally  between  his  different  households.  AVith 
the  true  spirit  of  a  woman,  Mrs.  Pratt  then  said  to  him 
that  she  would  never  again  receive  him  as  her  husband, 
as  he  had  lost  his  place  in  her  heart.  He  did  not  believe 
her  —  it  was  only  a  woman's  threat.  She  remained  true 
to  her  word.  She  so  trained  her  sons  to  hate  the  system 
that  had  made  her  life  wretched,  that  they  became  pro- 
nounced Mormon  apostates,  although  they  endured  re- 
peated persecutions  from  Brigham  Young. 

If  a  polygamous  Mormon  is  wealthy  each  wife  can 
have  a  separate  establishment.  Sometimes  cottages  are 
seen  side  by  side,  where  there  is  a  wife  in  each  cottage. 
One  of  the  apostles  kept  nine  wives  in  a  large  house,  each 
wife  having  her  own  apartments.  When  an  impecunious 
Mormon  takes  several  wives,  he  expects  them  not  only 
to  support  themselves,  but  sometimes  to  take  care  of 
him  as  well.  Poverty  with  polygamy  renders  these 
people  positively  brutish.  A  Christian  minister,  who  is 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  Mormons,  says  :  "  No- 
where in  the  United  States  is  there  more  squalid  poverty 
in  proportion  to  the  population,  or  a  greater  lack  of  the 
comforts  of  life  among  the  lower  classes,  than  in  Utah." 
This  will  apply  to  the  Territory  at  large  rather  than  to 
Salt  Lake  City,  where  poor  people  have  as  many  com- 
forts as  the  impecunious  enjoy  in  other  large  cities.  It 
is  an  established  fact  that  Mormonism  degrades  all  the 
finer  feelings  of  the  soul,  and  that  old  age  is  not  honored 
among  them.  If  there  is  an  aged  wife  in  a  household, 
she  is  the  common  drudge.  Sometimes  she  is  sent 
adrift  to  take  care  of  herself.  The  missionaries  of 
Christian  churches  in  Utah  report  that  they  have  their 
hands  full  in  caring  for  the  sick,  the  aged,  the  destitute, 


148  NEW   LIGHT   Otf   3IOKiIOXISiT. 

and  the  helpless,  who  are  brought  there  by  the  Mormon 
missionaries,  and  then  left  to  shift  for  themselves. 

Mormon  polygamy  has  an  infamous  pre-eminence  over 
that  of  the  Turks  in  the  intermarriage  of  near  relations. 
It  is  not  uncommon  for  a  man  to  marry  sisters,  or 
mother  and  one  or  more  daughters,  as  they  agree  better 
than  strangers.  In  the  southern  settlements  of  Utah  are 
found  all  the  most  revolting  features  of  Mormonism. 
In  the  Fortnightly  for  October,  1881,  a  Federal  judge, 
•who  has  resided  near  Salt  Lake  City  for  years,  testifies 
that  there  is  no  law  on  the  statute-book  of  the  Territory 
against  incest.  The  claim  that  polygamy  produces  finer 
offspring  than  monogamy  has  been  proved  to  be  an  inso- 
lent fallacy.  "  The  looseness  of  divorce  among  the 
Saints  has  never  had  a  parallel  among  the  most  depraved 
of  Gentiles,"  says  a  recent  observer  of  Mormon  methods 
in  Salt  Lake  City.  Brigham  Young  granted  divorces  to 
his  people,  while  admitting  they  were  not  worth  the 
paper  they  were  written  upon.  He  did  not  hesitate  to 
untie  as  many  elders  in  Israel. as  could  pay  for  the 
luxury. 

The  granting  of  woman's  suffrage  by  Brigham  Young, 
in  1871,  "was  a  coup  $  etat  for  the  purpose  of  strengthen- 
ing Mormonism  and  circumventing  "  the  enemy" — in 
other  words,  the  Gentiles.  But  in  a  Territory  where 
polygamy  is  proclaimed  to  be  "  divine,"  and  that  has  no 
laws  against  bigamy,  adultery,  and  kindred  crimes,  there 
can  be  no  just  appreciation  of  woman.  Female  suffrage 
under  such  conditions  is  a  mockery  and  delusion.  Polyg- 
amy, although  "  the  corner-stone  of  the  Mormon 
Church,"  is  not  inserted  in  its  thirteen  printed  articles 
of  faith.  It  would  alarm  those  turning  their  eyes 
toward  "  the  land  of  promise."  The  elastic  conscience 
of  John  Taylor,  the  present  "  Prophet,  seer,  and  re  vela- 


NEW   LIGHT   ON   MOKMONISM.  149 

tor"  to  "  the  chosen  people,"  is  exemplified  by  liis  em- 
phatic denial  of  polygamy,  in  1850,  when  he  "  rejoiced 
in  multitudinous  households. " 

The  refrain  of  a  "  song  of  Zion"  runs 

"  Then,  oil,  let  us  say — 

God  bless  the  wife  that  strives 
And  aids  her  husband  all  she  can 
To  obtain  a  dozen  wives." 

The  meaning  of  the  spiritual  wife  doctrine  is  that  man 
without  woman,  and  woman  without  man,  cannot  be 
saved.  The  more  wives  a  man  has  the  fuller  will  be  his 
glory  in  the  next  world.  It  is  the  policy  of  wealthy 
Mormons  to  treat  visitors  to  Salt  Lake  City  with  effusive 
hospitality  ;  hence  these  careless  tourists  who  are  willing 
to  accept  such  courtesies  remark  :  "  These  Mormons 
don't  seem  so  bad,  after  all.  At  all  events,  they  are  very 
polite."  English  travellers  are  singularly  lenient  to  this 
relic  of  barbarism  in  our  American  civilization.  A 
member  of  Parliament  gave  a  decidedly  rose-colored 
view  of  Salt  Lake  City  in  the  January,  1884,  number  of 
the  Nineteenth  Century.  He  wonders  at  the  antipathy 
toward  the  Mormons  manifested  by  Americans  in  the 
Eastern  States,  and  considers  it  due  to  the  exalted  idea 
respecting  women  entertained  by  Americans  generally, 
which  explains  their  aversion  to  the  Mormons  as  identi- 
fied with  polygamy.  This  gentleman  undoubtedly  re- 
ceived attentions  from  the  wealthiest  of  the  Mormons, 
and  had  only  seen  the  fair  exterior  of  this  apple  of 
Sodom.  An  Anti-Polygamy  Society  has  long  been 
established  in  Salt  Lake  City,  and  a  heroic  fight  against 
Mormonism  is  being  made  by  a  Gentile  daily  called  the 
Salt  Lake  Tribune.  There  are  twelve  thousand  polyga- 
mists  in  Utah,,  and  its  obnoxious  doctrines  are  more 


150  NEW    LIGHT   OK 

openly  and  defiantly  preached  than  ever.  Under  the 
statutes  there  has  been  one  conviction  for  polygamy 
within  twenty  years. 

March  2d,  1882,  the  "Edmunds  Bill"  passed  both 
Houses  of  Congress,  after  weary  delays  and  much  oppo- 
sition. It  reads  as  follows  : 

[PUBLIC— No.  30.] 

AN   ACT  to   amend  section  fifty-three  hundred  and  fifty-two  of  the 

Eevised   Statutes  of  the  United  States,    in  reference   to   bigamy, 

and  for  other  purposes. 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  Ujiited 
States  of  America  in  Congress  assembled,  That  section  fifty-three  hundred 
and  fifty-two  of  the  Eevised  Statutes  of  the  United  States  be,  and 
the  same  is  hereby,  amended  so  as  to  read  as  follows,  namely  : 

"  Every  person  who  has  a  husband  or  wife  living  who,  in  a  Terri- 
tory or  other  place  over  which  the  United  States  have  exclusive  juris- 
diction, hereafter  marries  another,  whether  married  or  single,  and 
any  man  who  hereafter  simultaneously,  or  on  the  same  'day,  marries 
more  than  one  woman,  in  a  Territory  or  other  place  over  which  tho 
United  States  have  exclusive  jurisdiction,  is  guilty  of  polygamy,  and 
shall  be  punished  by  a  fine  of  not  more  than  five  hundred  dollars  and 
by  imprisonment  for  a  term  of  not  more  than  five  years  ;  but  this 
section  shall  not  extend  to  any  person  by  reason  of  any  former 
marriage  whose  husband  or  wife  by  such  marriage  shall  have  been 
absent  for  five  successive  years,  and  is  not  known  to  such  person  to 
be  living,  and  is  believed  by  such  person  to  be  dead,  nor  to  any  per- 
son by  reason  of  any  former  marriage  which  shall  have  been  dissolved 
by  a  valid  decree  of  a  competent  court,  nor  to  any  person  by  reason 
of  any  former  marriage  which  shall  have  been  pronounced  void  by 
a  valid  decree  of  a  competent  court,  on  the  ground  of  nullity  of  the 
marriage  contract." 

Ssc.  2.  That  the  foregoing  provisions  shall  not  affect  the  prose- 
cution or  punishment  of  any  offence  already  committed  against  tho 
section  amended  by  the  first  section  of  this  act. 

SEC.  3.  That  if  any  male  person,  in  a  Territory  or  other  place  over 
which  the  United  States  have  exclusive  jurisdiction,  hereafter  cohabits 
•with  more  than  one  woman,  he  shall  be  deemed  guilty  of  a  mis- 
demeanor, and  on  conviction  thereof  shall  be  punished  by  a  fine  of 
not  more  than  three  hundred  dollars,  or  by  imprisonment  for  not 


NEW  LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM.  151 

more  than  six  months,  or  by  both  said  punishments,  in  the  discretion 
of  the  court. 

SEC.  4.  That  counts  for  any  or  all  of  the  offences  named  in  sections 
one  and  three  of  this  act  may  be  joined  in  the  same  information  or 
indictment. 

SEC.  5.  That  in  any  prosecution  for  bigamy,  polygamy,  or  unlawful 
cohabitation,  under  any  statute  of  the  United  States,  it  shall  be 
sufficient  cause  of  challenge  to  any  person  drawn  or  summoned  as  a 
juryman  or  talesman,  first,  that  he  is  or  has  been  living  in  the 
practice  of  bigamy,  polygamy,  or  unlawful  cohabitation  with  more 
than  one  woman,  or  that  he  is  or  has  been  guilty  of  an  offence  punish- 
able by  either  of  the  foregoing  sections,  or  by  section  fifty-three 
hundred  and  fifty-two  of  the  Eevised  Statutes  of  the  United  States, 
or  the  act  of  July  first,  eighteen  hundred  and  sixty-two,  entitled  "  An 
act  to  punish  and  prevent  the  practice  of  polygamy  in  the  Territories 
of  the  United  States  and  other  places,  and  disapproving  and  annul- 
ling certain  acts  of  the  Legislative  Assembly  of  the  Territory  of  Utah," 
or,  second,  that  he  believes  it  right  for  a  man  to  have  more  than  one 
living  and  undivorced  wife  at  the  same  time,  or  to  live  in  the  practice 
of  cohabiting  with  more  than  one  woman  ;  and  any  person  appearing 
or  offered  as  a  juror  or  talesman,  and  challenged  on  either  of  the 
foregoing  grounds,  may  be  questioned  on  his  oath  as  to  the  existence 
of  any  such  cause  of  challenge,  and  other  evidence  may  be  introduced 
bearing  upon  the  question  raised  by  such  challenge  ;  and  this  ques- 
tion shall  be  tried  by  the  court.  But  as  to  the  first  ground  of  chal- 
lenge before  mentioned,  the  person  challenged  shall  not  be  bound 
to  answer  if  he  shall  say  upon  his  oath  that  he  declines  on  the  ground 
that  his  answer  may  tend  to  criminate  himself  ;  and  if  he  shall 
answer  as  to  said  first  ground,  his  answer  shall  not  be  given  in 
evidence  in  any  criminal  prosecution  against  him  for  any  offence 
named  in  sections  one  or  three  of  this  act  ;  but  if  he  declines  to 
answer  on  any  ground,  he  shall  be  rejected  as  incompetent. 

SEC.  6.  That  the  President  is  hereby  authorized  to  grant  amnesty 
to  such  classes  of  offenders  guilty  of  bigamy,  polygamy,  or  unlawful 
cohabitation,  before  the  passage  of  this  act,  on  such  conditions  and 
under  such  limitations  as  he  shall  think  proper  ;  bat  no  such  amnesty 
shall  have  effect  unless  the  conditions  thereof  shall  be  complied 
with. 

SEC.  7.  That  the  issue  of  bigamous  or  polygamous  marriages, 
known  as  Mormon  marriages,  in  cases  in  which  such  marriages  have 
been  solemnized  according  to  the  ceremonies  of  the  Mormon  sect,  in 
any  Territory  of  the  United  States,  and  such  issue  shall  have  been 


152  NEW   LIGHT  ON  M011MONTSM. 

born  before  the  first  day  of  January,  Anno  Domini  eighteen  hundred 
and  eighty-three,  are  hereby  legitimated. 

SEC.  8.  That  no  polygamist,  bigamist,  or  any  person  cohabiting 
with  more  than  one  woman,  and  no  woman  cohabiting  -with  any  of 
the  persons  described  as  aforesaid  in  this  section,  in  any  Territory  or 
other  place  over  which  the  United  States  have  exclusive  jurisdiction, 
shall  be  entitled  to  vote  at  any  election  held  in  any  such  Territory 
or  other  place,  or  be  eligible  for  election  or  appointment  to  or  bo 
entitled  to  hold  any  office  or  place  of  public  trust,  honor,  or  emolu- 
ment in,  under,  or  for  any  such  Territory  or  place,  or  under  the 
United  States. 

SEC.  9.  That  all  the  registration  and  election  offices  of  every 
description  in  the  Territory  of  Utah  are  hereby  declared  vacant,  and 
each  and  every  duty  relating  to  the  registration  of  voters,  the  con- 
duct of  elections,  the  receiving  or  rejection  of  votes,  and  the  can- 
vassing and  returning  of  the  same,  and  the  issuing  of  certificates  or 
other  evidence  of  election  in  said  Territory,  shall,  until  other  provision 
be  made  by  the  Legislative  Assembly  of  said  Territory  as  is  hereinafter 
by  this  section  provided,  be  performed  under  the  existing  laws  of 
the  United  States  and  of  said  Territory  by  proper  persons,  who  shall 
be  appointed  to  execute  such  ofiices  and  perform  such  duties  by  a 
board  of  five  persons,  to  be  appointed  by  the  President,  by  and  with 
the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate,  not  more  than  three  of  whom 
shall  be  members  of  one  political  party  ;  and  a  majority  of  whom 
shall  be  a  quorum.  The  members  of  said  board  so  appointed  by  the 
President  shall  each  receive  a  salary  at  the  rate  of  three  thousand 
dollars  per  annum,  and  shall  continue  in  office  until  the  Legislative 
Assembly  of  said  Territory  shall  make  provision  for  filling  said  offices 
as  herein  authorized.  The  secretary  of  the  Territory  shall  be  the 
secretary  of  said  board,  and  keep  a  journal  of  its  proceedings,  and 
attest  the  action  of  said  board  under  this  section.  The  canvass  and 
return  of  all  the  votes  at  elections  in  said  Territory  for  members  of 
the  Legislative  Assembly  thereof  shall  also  be  returned  to  said  board, 
which  shall  canvass  all  such  returns  and  issue  certificates  of  election 
to  those  persons  who,  being  eligible  for  such  election,  shall  appear  to 
have  been  lawfully  elected,  which  certificates  shall  be  the  only  evi- 
dence of  the  right  of  such  persons  to  sit  in  such  assembly  :  Provided, 
That  said  board  of  five  persons  shall  not  exclude  any  person  other- 
wise eligible  to  vote  from  the  polls  on  account  of  any  opinion  such 
person  may  entertain  on  the  subject  of  bigamy  or  polygamy  nor  shall 
they  refuse  to  count  any  such  vote  on  account  of  the  opinion  of  the 
person  casting  it  on  the  subject  of  bigamy  or  polygamy  ;  but  each 


NEW    LIGHT   ON"   MOEMOKISM.  153 

house  of  such  assembly,  after  its  organization,  shall  have  power  to 
decide  upon  the  elections  and  qualifications  of  its  members.  And 
at,  or  after  the  first  meeting  of  said  Legislative  Assembly  whose 
members  shall  have  been  elected  and  returned  according  to  the  pro- 
visions of  this  act,  said  Legislative  Assembly  may  make  such  laws, 
conformable  to  the  organic  act  of  said  Territory  and  not  inconsistent 
with  other  laws  of  the  United  States,  as  it  shall  deem  proper  con- 
cerning the  filling  of  the  offices  in  said  Territory  declared  vacant  by 
this  act. 

Approved,  March  22,  1882. 


[Printer's  Xo.,  8925. 
48th  CONGRESS,  o 

1st  Session.  ° 


IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES. 

JUNE  19,  1884. 
Ordered  to  be  printed. 


AN  ACT  to  amend  an  act  entitled  "  An  act  to  amend  section  fifty- 
three  hundred  and  fifty-two  of  the  Revised  Statutes  of  the  United 
States,  in  reference  to  bigamy,  and  for  other  purposes,' '  approved 
March  twenty-second,  eighteen  hundred  and  eighty-two. 
Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  United 
States  of  America  in  Congress  assembled,  That  in  any  proceeding  and 
examination  before  a  grand  jury,  a  judge,  justice,  or  a  United  States 
commissioner,  or  a  court  in  any  prosecution  for  bigamy,  polygamy, 
or  unlawful  cohabitation,  under  any  statute  of  the  United  States,  the 
lawful  husband  or  wife  of  the  person  accused  shall  be  a  competent 
witness,  and  may  be  called  and  may  be  compelled  to  testify  in  such 
proceeding,  examination,  or  prosecution  without  the  consent  of  the 
husband  or  wife,  as  the  case  may  be  ;  but  auch  witness  shall  not  be 
permitted  to  testify  as  to  any  confidential  statement  or  communi- 
cation made  by  either  husband  or  wife  to  each  other  during  the 
existence  of  the  marriage  relation. 

SEC.  2.  That  in  any  prosecution  for  bigamy,  polygamy,  or  unlawful 
cohabitation,  under  any  statute  of  the  United  States,  whether  before 


154  NEW   LIGHT   OJT   MORMOXISM. 

a  United  States  commissioner,  justice,  judge,  a  grand  jury,  or  any 
court,  an  attachment  for  any  witness  may  be  issued  by  the  court, 
judge,  or  commissioner,  without  a  previous  subpoena,  compelling  the 
immediate  attendance  of  such  witness,  when  it  shall  appear  to  the 
commissioner,  justice,  judge,  or  court,  as  the  case  may  be,  that  there 
is  reasonable  ground  to  believe  that  such  witness  will  unlawfully  fail 
to  obey  a  subpoena  issued  and  served  in  the  usual  course  in  such  cases  ; 
and  in  such  case  the  usual  witness  fees  shall  be  paid  to  such  witness 
so  attached  :  Provided,  That  no  person  shall  be  held  in  custody  tinder 
any  attachment  issued  as  provided  by  this  section  for  a  longer  time 
than  ten  days  ;  and  the  person  attached  may  at  any  time  secure  his 
or  her  discharge  from  custody  by  executing  a  recognizance,  with 
sufficient  sureties,  conditioned  for  the  appearance  of  such  person  at 
the  proper  time  as  a  witness  in  the  cause  or  proceeding  wherein  the 
attachment  may  be  issued 

SEC.  3.  That  any  prosecution  under  any  statute  of  the  United  States 
for  bigamy,  polygamy,  or  unlawful  cohabitation  may  be  commenced 
at  any  time  within  five  years  next  after  the  commission  of  the  offence  ; 
but  this  provision  shall  not  be  construed  to  apply  to  any  offence 
already  barred  by  any  existiag  statute  of  limitation. 

SEC.  4.  That  every  ceremony  of  marriage,  or  in  the  nature  of  a 
marriage  ceremony,  of  any  kind,  in  any  of  the  Territories  of  the 
United  States,  whether  either  or  both  or  more  of  the  parties  to  such 
ceremony  be  lawfully  competent  to  bo  the  subjects  of  such  marriage 
or  ceremony  or  not,  shall  be  certified  in  writing  by  a  certificate  stating 
the  fact  and  nature  of  such  ceremony,  the  full  names  of  each  of  the 
parties  concerned,  and  the  full  name  of  eveiy  officer,  priest,  and 
person,  by  whatever  style  or  designation  called  or  known,  in  any  way 
taking  part  in  the  performance  of  such  ceremony,  which  certificate 
shall  be  drawn  up  and  signed  by  the  parties  to  such  ceremony,  and 
by  every  officer,  priest,  and  person  taking  part  in  the  performance  of 
such  ceremony,  and  shall  be  by  the  officer,  priest,  or  other  person 
solemnizing  such  marriage  or  ceremony  filed  in  the  office  of  tha 
probate  court,  or,  if  there  be  none,  in  the  office  of  the  court  having 
probate  powers  in  the  county  or  district  in  which  such  ceremony 
shall  take  place,  for  record,  and  shall  be  immediately  recorded. 

Such  certificate  shall  be  prima  facie  evidence  of  the  facts  required 
by  this  act  to  be  stated  therein,  in  any  proceeding,  civil  or  criminal, 
in  which  the  matter  shall  be  drawn  in  question.  An}7  person  who 
shall  violate  any  of  the  provisions  of  this  section  shall  be  deemed 
guilty  of  a  misdemeanor,  and  shall,  on  conviction  thereof,  be  pun- 
ished by  a  fine  of  not  more  than  one  thousand  dollars,  or  by  imprison- 


NEW   LIGHT   OX   MORMONISM.  155 

ment  not  longer  than  two  years,  or  by  both  said  punishments,  in  the 
discretion  of  the  court. 

SEC.  5.  That  every  certificate,  record,  and  entry  of  any  kind  con- 
cerning any  ceremony  of  marriage,  or  in  the  nature  of  a  marriage 
ceremony  of  any  kind,  made  or  kept  by  any  officer,  clergyman,  priest, 
or  person  performing  civil  or  ecclesiastical  functions,  whether  lawful 
or  not,  in  any  Territory  of  the  United  States,  and  any  record  thereof 
in  any  office  or  place,  shall  be  subject  to  inspection  at  all  reasonable 
times  by  any  judge,  magistrate,  or  officer  of  justice  appointed  under 
the  authority  of  the  United  States,  and  shall,  on  request,  be  produced 
and  shown  to  such  judge,  magistrate,  or  officer  by  any  person  in 
whose  possession  or  control  the  same  may  be.  Every  person  who 
shall  violate  the  provisions  of  this  section  shall  be  deemed  guilty  of 
a  misdemeanor,  and  shall,  on  conviction  thereof,  be  punished  by  a 
fine  of  not  more  than  one  thousand  dollars,  or  by  imprisonment  not 
longer  than  two  years,  or  by  both  said  punishments,  in  the  discre- 
tion of  the  court.  And  it  shall  be  lawful  for  any  United  States  com- 
missioner, justice,  judge,  or  court  before  whom  anj'  proceeding  shall 
be  pending  in  which  such  certificate,  record,  or  entry  may  be  material, 
by  proper  warrant,  to  cause  such  certificate,  record,  or  entry,  and 
the  book,  document,  or  paper  containing  the  same,  to  be  taken  and 
brought  before  him  or  it  for  the  purposes  of  such  proceeding. 

SEC.  6.  That  nothing  in  this  act  shall  be  held  to  prevent  the  proof 
of  marriages,  whether  lawful  or  unlawful,  by  any  evidence  now  legally 
admissible  for  that  purpose. 

SEC.  7.  That  it  shall  not  be  lawful  for  any  female  to  vote  at  any 
election  hereafter  held  in  the  Territory  of  Utah  for  any  public  purpose 
whatever,  and  no  such  vote  shall  be  received  or  counted  or  given 
effect  in  any  manner  whatever  ;  and  any  and  every  act  of  the 
governor  and  Legislative  Assembly  of  the  Territory  of  Utah  providing 
for  or  allowing  the  registration  or  voting  by  females  is  hereby  an- 
nulled. 

SEC.  8.  That  all  laws  of  the  Legislative  Assembly  of  the  Territory  of 
Utah  which  provide  for  numbering  or  identifying  the  votes  of  the 
electors  at  any  election  in  said  Territory  are  hereby  disapproved  and 
annulled  ;  but  the  foregoing  provision  shall  not  preclude  the  lawful 
registration  of  votes,  or  any  other  provisions  for  securing  fair  elec- 
tions which  do  not  involve  the  disclosure  of  the  candidates  for  whom 
any  particular  elector  shall  have  voted. 

SEC.  9.  That  the  laws  enacted  by  the  Legislative  Assembly  of  the 
Territory  of  Utah  conferring  jurisdiction  upon  probate  courts,  or  the 
judges  thereof,  or  any  of  them,  in  said  Territory,  other  than  in  re- 


156  NEW    LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM. 

spect  of  the  estates  of  deceased  persons  and  in  respect  of  the  guardian- 
ship of  the  persons  and  property  of  infants,  and  in  respect  of  the 
persons  and  property  of  persons  not  of  sound  mind,  are  hereby  dis- 
approved and  annulled  ;  and  no  probate  court  or  judge  of  probate 
shall  exercise  any  jurisdiction  other  than  in  respect  of  the  matters 
aforesaid  ;  and  every  such  jurisdiction  so  by  force  of  this  act  with- 
drawn from  the  said  probate  courts  or  judges  shall  be  had  and  exer- 
cised by  the  district  courts  of  said  Territory,  respectively. 

SEC.  10.  That  the  laws  enacted  by  the  Legislative  Assembly  of  the 
Territory  of  Utah  which  provide  for  or  recognize  the  capacity  of 
illegitimate  children  to  inherit  or  to  be  entitled  to  any  distributive 
share  in  the  estate  of  the  father  of  such  illegitimate  child  are  here- 
by disapproved  and  annulled  ;  and  no  illegitimate  child  shall  here- 
after be  entitled  to  inherit  from  his  or  her  father  or  to  receive 
any  distributive  share  in  the  estate  of  his  or  her  father  :  Provided, 
That  this  section  shall  not  apply  to  any  illegitimate  child  born  pre- 
vious to  the  passage  of  this  act. 

SEC.  11.  That  all  laws  of  the  Legislative  Assembly  of  the  Territory 
of  Utah  which  provide  that  prosecution  for  adultery  can  only  be 
commenced  on  the  complaint  of  the  husband  or  wife  are  hereby  dis- 
approved and  annulled  ;  and  all  prosecutions  for  adultery  may  here- 
after be  instituted  in  the  same  way  that  prosecutions  for  other 
crimes  are. 

SEC.  12.  That  the  acts  of  the  Legislative  Assembly  of  Utah  in- 
corporating, continuing,  or  providing  for  the  corporation  known  as 
the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-Day  Saints,  and  the  ordinance  of 
the  so-called  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Deseret  incorporating 
the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-Day  Saints,  so  far  as  the  same 
may  now  have  legal  force  and  validity,  are  hereby  disapproved  and 
annulled,  so  far  as  the  same  may  preclude  the  appointment  by  the 
United  States  of  certain  trustees  of  said  corporation  as  is  hereinafter 
provided.  The  President  of  the  United  States,  by  and  with  the 
advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate,  shall  appoint  fourteen  trustees  of 
the  said  corporation,  who  shall  have  and  exercise  all  the  powers  and 
functions  of  trustees  and  assistant  trustees  provided  for  in  the  laws 
creating,  amending,  or  continuing  the  said  corporation,  which  trus- 
tees so  appointed  shall  hold  their  respective  offices  for  the  term  of 
two  years  ;  and  the  trustees  of  said  corporation  shall  annually  or 
oftener  make  a  full  report  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  embracing 
all  the  property,  business  affairs,  and  operations  of  the  said  corpora- 
tion ;  and  the  Legislative  Assembly  of  the  Territory  of  Utah  shall  not 
have  power  to  change  the  laws  respecting  said  corporation  without 


NEW    LIGHT   OST    MORMONISM.  157 

the  approval  of  Congress.  Said  trustees  shall  each  give  bond,  payable 
to  the  United  States,  with  good  and  sufficient  security,  for  the  faith- 
ful discharge  of  the  duties  incumbent  upon  him  as  trustee,  in  such 
sum  as  may  be  prescribed  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 

SEC.  13.  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Attorney-General  of  the 
United  States  to  institute  and  prosecute  proceedings  to  forfeit  and 
escheat  to  the  United  States  the  property  of  corporations  obtained  or 
held  in  violation  of  section  three  of  the  act  of  Congress  approved  the 
first  day  of  July,  eighteen  hundred  and  sixty-two,  entitled  "  An  act 
to  punish  and  prevent  the  practice  of  polygamy  in  the  Territories  of 
the  United  States  and  other  places,  and  disapproving  and  annulling 
certain  acts  of  the  Legislative  Assembly  of  the  Territory  of  Utah,"  or 
in  violation  of  section  eighteen  hundred  and  ninety  of  the  Revised 
Statutes  of  the  United  States  ;  and  all  such  property  so  forfeited  and 
escheated  to  the  United  States  shall  be  disposed  of  by  the  Secretary 
of  the  Interior,  and  the  proceeds  thereof  applied  to  the  use  and  bene- 
fit of  the  common  schools  in  the  Territory  in  which  such  property 
may  be  :  Provided,  That  no  building  shall  be  forfeited  which  is  held 
and  occupied  exclusively  for  purposes  of  religious  worship. 

SEC.  14.  That  in  any  proceeding  for  the  enforcement  of  the  pro- 
visions of  law  against  corporations  or  associations  acquiring  or  hold- 
ing property  in  any  Territory  of  the  United  States  in  excess  of  the 
amount  limited  by  law,  the  court  before  which  such  proceeding  may 
be  instituted  shall  have  power  in  a  summary  way  to  compel  the  pro- 
duction of  all  books,  records,  papers,  and  documents  of  or  belonging 
to  any  trustee  or  person  holding  or  controlling  or  managing  property 
in  which  such  corporation  may  have  any  right,  title,  or  interest 
whatever. 

SEC.  15.  That  all  laws  of  the  Legislative  Assembly  of  the  Territory 
of  Utah,  or  of  the  so-called  government  of  the  State  of  Deseret,  creat- 
ing, organizing,  amending,  or  continuing  the  corporation  or  association 
called  the  Perpetual  Emigrating  Fund  Company  are  hereby  disap- 
proved and  annulled  ;  and  it  shall  not  be  lawful  for  the  Legislative 
Assembly  of  the  Territory  of  Utah  to  create,  organize,  or  in  any  man- 
ner recognize  any  corporation  or  association  for  the  purpose  of  or 
operating  to  accomplish  the  bringing  of  persons  into  the  said  Ter- 
ritory for  any  purpose  whatsoever. 

SEC.  16.  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Attorney-General  of  the 
United  States  to  cause  such  proceedings  to  be  taken  in  the  Siipreme 
Court  of  the  Territory  of  Utah  as  shall  be  proper  to  dissolve  the  said 
corporation  and  pay  the  debts  and  to  dispose  of  the  property  and 
assets  thereof  according  to  law.  Said  property  and  assets,  in  excess 


158  XEW   LIGHT   ON    MORMOXISM. 

of  the  debts  and  the  amount  of  any  lawful  claims  established  by  the 
court  against  the  same,  shall  escheat  to  the  United  States,  and  shall 
be  taken,  invested,  and  disposed  of  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior, 
under  the  direction  of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  for  the 
benefit  of  common  schools  in  said  Territory. 

SEC.  17.  That  the  existing  election  districts  and  apportionments  of 
representation  concerning  the  members  of  the  Legislative  Assembly  of 
the  Territory  of  Utah  are  hereby  abolished  ;  and  it  shall  be  the  duty 
of  the  governor,  Territorial  Secretary,  nnd  the  United  States  judges 
in  said  Territory  forthwith  to  redistrict  said  Territory,  and  apportion 
representation  in  the  same  in  such  manner  as  to  provide,  as  nearly  as 
may  be,  for  an  equal  representation  of  the  people  (excepting  Indians 
not  taxed),  being  citizens  of  the  United  States,  according  to  numbers, 
in  said  Legislative  Assembly,  and  to  the  number  of  members  of  the 
counsel  and  House  of  Representatives,  respectively,  as  now  established 
by  law  ;  and  a  record  of  the  establishment  of  such  new  districts  and 
the  apportionment  of  representation  thereto  shall  be  made  in  the 
office  of  the  secretary  of  said  Territory,  and  such  establishment  and 
representation  shall  continue  until  Congress  shall  otherwise  provide  ; 
and  no  persons  other  than  citizens  of  the  United  States  otherwise 
qualified  shall  be  entitled  to  vote  at  any  election  in  said  Territory. 

SEC.  18.  That  the  provisions  of  section  nine  of  said  act  approved 
March  twenty-second,  eighteen  hundred  and  eighty-two,  in  regard  to 
registration  and  election  offices,  and  the  registration  of  voters,  and 
the  conduct  of  elections,  and  the  powers  and  duties  of  the  board 
therein  mentioned,  shall  continue  and  remain  operative  iintil  the 
provision  and  laws  therein  referred  to  be  made  and  enacted  by  the 
Legislative  Assembly  of  said  Territory  of  Utah,  shall  have  been  made 
and  enacted  by  said  assembly  and  shall  have  been  approved  by  Con- 
gress. 

SEC.  19.  That  whoever  commits  adultery  shall  be  punished  by  im- 
prisonment in  the  penitentiary  not  exceeding  three  years  ;  and  when 
the  act  is  committed  between  a  married  woman  and  a  man  who  is  un- 
married, both  parties  to  such  act  shall  be  deemed  guilty  of  adultery  ; 
and  when  such  act  is  committed  between  a  married  man  and  a  woman 
who  is  unmarried,  the  man  shall  be  deemed  guilty  of  adultery. 

SEC.  20.  That  if  an  unmarried  man  or  woman  commits  fornication, 
each  of  them  shall  be  punished  by  imprisonment  not  exceeding  six 
months,  or  by  fine  not  exceeding  one  hundred  dollars. 

SEC.  21.  That  commissioners  appointed  by  the  Supreme  Court  and 
district  courts  in  the  Territory  of  Utah  shall  possess  and  may  exercise 
all  the  powers  and  jurisdiction  that  are  or  may  be  possessed  or  exer- 


NEW   LIGHT   ON   MOEMOXISM.  150 

cised  by  justices  of  the  peace  in  said  Territory  under  the  laws  thereof, 
and  the  same  powers  conferred  by  law  on  commissioners  appointed 
by  circuit  courts  of  the  United  States. 

SEC.  22.  That  the  marshal  of  said  Territory  of  Utah,  and  his  depu- 
ties, shall  possess  and  may  exercise  all  the  powers  in  executing  the 
laws  of  the  United  States  possessed  and  exercised  Ly  sheriffs  and 
their  deputies  as  peace  officers  ;  and  each  of  them  shall  cause  all 
offenders  against  the  law,  in  his  view,  to  enter  into  recognizance  to 
keep  the  peace  and  to  appear  at  the  next  term  of  the  court  having 
jurisdiction  of  the  case,  and  to  commit  to  jail  in  case  of  failure  to 
give  such  recognizance.  They  shall  quell  and  suppress  assaults  and 
batteries,  riots,  routs,  affrays,  and  insurrections,  and  shall  apprehend 
•and  commit  to  jail  all  felons. 

SEC.  23.  That  the  office  of  Territorial  superintendent  of  district 
schools  created  by  the  laws  of  Utah  is  hereby  declared  vacant  ;  and  it 
shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  said  Territory  to  appoint  a 
Territorial  superintendent  of  district  schools,  who  shall  possess  and 
exercise  all  the  powers  and  duties  imposed  by  the  laws  of  said  Terri- 
tory upon  the  Territorial  superintendent  of  district  schools,  and  who 
shall  receive  the  same  salary  and  compensation,  which  shall  be  paid 
out  of  the  treasury  of  said  Territory  ;  and  the  laws  of  the  Territory  of 
Utah  providing  for  the  method  of  election  and  appointment  of  such 
Territorial  superintendent  of  district  schools  are  hereby  suspended 
until  the  further  action  of  Congress  shall  be  had  in  respect  thereto- 
The  said  superintendent  shall  have  power  to  prohibit  the  use  in  any 
district  school  of  any  book  of  a  sectarian  character  or  otherwise  un- 
suitable. Said  superintendent  shall  collect  and  classify  statistics 
and  other  information  respecting  the  district  schools  in  said  Terri- 
tory, showing  their  progress,  the  whole  number  of  children  of  school 
age,  the  number  who  attend  school  in  each  year  in  the  respective 
counties  and  average  length  of  time  of  their  attendance,  the  number 
of  teachers  and  the  compensation  paid  to  the  same,  the  numbei1  of 
teachers  who  are  Mormons,  the  number  who  are  so-called  Gentiles, 
the  number  of  children  of  Mormon  parents  and  the  number  of  chil- 
dren of  so-called  Gentile  parents,  and  their  respective  average  attend- 
ance at  school.  All  of  which  statistics  and  information  shall  be  an- 
nually reported  to  Congress,  through  the  governor  of  said  Territory 
and  the  Department  of  the  Interior. 

SEC.  24.  (a)  A  widow  shall  be  endowed  of  the  third  part  of  all  the 
lands  whereof  her  husband  was  seized  of  an  estate  of  inheritance  at 
any  time  during  the  marriage. 

(6)  The  widow  of  any  alien  who  at  the  time  of  his  death  shall  be 


100  NEAV    LIGHT   ON   M011MOXISM. 

entitled  by  law  to  hold  any  real  estate,  if  she  be  an  inhabitant  of  the 
Territory  at  the  time  of  such  death,  shall  be  entitled  to  dower  of 
such  estate  in  the  same  manner  as  if  such  alien  had  been  a  native 
citizen. 

(c)  If  a  husband  seized  of  an  estate  of  inheritance  in  lands  ex- 
changes them  for  other  lands,  his  widow  shall  not  have  dower  of 
both,  but  shall  make  her  election  to  be  endowed  of  the  lands  given 
or  of  those  taken  in  exchange  ;  and  if  such  election  be  not  evinced 
by  the  commencement  of  proceedings  to  recover  her  dower  of  tho 
lands  given  in  exchange  within  one  year  after  the  death  of  her  hus- 
band, she  shall  be  deemed  to  have  elected  to  take  her  dower  of  the 
lands  received  in  exchange. 

(d)  When  a  person  seized  of  an  estate  of  inheritance  in  lands  shall 
have  executed  a  mortgage  on  such  estate  before  marriage,  his  widow 
bhall  nevertheless  be  entitled  to  dower  out  of  the  lands  mortgaged  as 
against  every  person  except  the  mortgagee  and  those  claiming  under 
him. 

(e)  "Where  a  husband  shall  purchase  lands  during  coverture,  and 
shall  at  the  same  time  mortgage  bis  estate  in  such  lands  to  secure  the 
payment  of  the  purchase-money,  his  widow  shall  not  be  entitled  to 
dower  out  of  such  lands,  as  against  the  mortgagee  or  those  claiming 
under  him,  although  she  shall  not  have  united  such  mortgage  ;  but 
she  shall  be  entitled  to  her  dower  as  against  all  other  persons. 

(/)  Where  in  such  case  the  mortgagee,  or  those  claiming  under 
him,  shall,  after  the  death  of  the  husband  of  such  widow,  cause  the 
land  mortgaged  to  be  sold,  either  under  a  power  of  sale  contained  in 
the  mortgage  or  by  virtue  of  the  decree  of  a  court  of  equity,  and  if 
any  surplus  shall  remain  after  payment  of  the  moneys  due  on  such 
mortgage  and  the  costs  and  charges  of  the  sale,  such  widow  shall 
nevertheless  be  entitled  to  the  interest  or  income  of  the  one  third 
part  of  such  surplus,  for  her  life,  as  her  dower. 

(ff)  A  widow  shall  not  be  endowed  of  lands  conveyed  to  her  hus- 
band by  way  of  mortgage  unless  he  acquire  an  absolute  estate  therein 
during  the  marriage  period. 

(h)  In  case  of  divorce  dissolving  the  marriage  contract  for  the  mis- 
conduct of  the  wife,  she  shall  not  be  endowed. 
"  Passed  the  Senate  June  18,  1884. 

Attest  :  AKSON  G.  McCooK,  Secretary. 

Brigliam  Young  died  August  29th,  1877.  He  was  a 
remarkable  man  in  many  ways,  although  illiterate.  Pie 
nattered  himself  that  he  would  live  to  the  age  of  Moses, 


NEW   LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM.  161 

as  he  was  of  a  long-lived  family  ;  but  physically  he  was 
not  strong.  He  was  born  in  Whittingham,  Vermont,  in 
1801,  of  poor  but  respectable  parents.  While  very 
young  his  family  removed  to  central  New  York,  and  at 
a  suitable  age  he  became  a  painter  and  glazier  by  trade 
at  Canandaigua,  and  later  in  New  York  City.  It  was 
his  boast  in  his  days  of  power,  when  saying  that  the 
meek  and  poor  were  to  inherit  the  kingdom  of  heav- 
en, that  he  had  been  "  only  eleven  and  a  half  days  at 
school."  In  1832,  when  he  joined  the  Mormons  at  Kirt- 
land,  Ohio,  "the  gift  of  tongues"  seemed  to  "fall  on 
him."  He  affected  to  believe  that  Joseph  Smith  held 
"the  keys  of  Salvation;"  that  he  was  God's  servant; 
that  he  did  not  belong  to  the  people,  but  to  the  Lord, 
and  was  doing  the  work  of  the  Lord  ;  and  if  he  should 
lead  them  astray,  it  was  because  they  ought  to  be  led 
astray.  If  they  were  chastised  or  destroyed  it  was  to 
accomplish  some  righteous  purpose. 

Such  a  blind  and  unreasoning  faith  in  Joseph,  with 
the  abject  slavery  of  mind  and  will  it  involves,  it  is 
evident  was  the  key  to  Brigham  Young's  after  life. 
No  one  had  the  right  to  sit  in  judgment  upon  Joseph's 
actions  ;  no  one  should  question  his  successor's  motives 
or  performance.  Joseph,  it  is  said,  had  a  secret  fear 
of  Brigham's  power,  and  sent  him  on  long  missions 
for  reasons  of  a  prudential  character.  During  these 
journeys,  and  the  intercourse  he  had  with  the  world, 
his  wits  were  sharpened,  and  his  natural  powers  of  in- 
tellect were  quickened  by  keen  observation.  He  es- 
tablished the  first  Mormon  mission  in  England  at  Liver- 
pool. He  was  naturally  a  leader,  and  the  Mormons 
yielded  to  his  magnetic  sway  when  he  succeeded  the 
prophet  at  Nauvoo.  After  the  establishment  of  the 
Saints  at  Zion  he  is  said  to  have  had  slight  acquaint- 


1G3  NEW  LIGHT  ON  MORMONISM. 

ance  with  the  outside  world  for  several  years,  and  was 
seldom  seen  by  his  people  at  large  save  on  Sundays. 
He  was  always  occupied  with  affairs,  and  nothing  in 
public  or  private  life  of  the  slightest  moment  escaped  his 
knowledge.  His  residence  in  Salt  Lake  City,  called  the 
"  Lion  House"  from  the  figure  of  a  crouching  lion  over 
the  portico,  is  a  group  of  houses  of  unequal  dimensions, 
that  has  neither  architectural  beauty  nor  grace.  There 
are  twenty  rooms  on  the  "living  floor,"  with  sleeping 
rooms  above,  and  weaving  rooms,  laundry,  dining-room, 
etc.,  on  the  lower  floor.  Here  most  of  his  nineteen  wives 
and  children  resided.  The  largest  of  the  buildings  he 
called  the  "  Bee  Hive  House."  It  was  his  official  res- 
idence. Here  he  had  his  chambre  a  coucher /  here  his 
buttons  and  stockings  were  adjusted  to  his  satisfaction. 
After  business  hours  it  was  difficult  to  determine  where 
he  would  be,  as  he  was  "master  of  his  own  actions." 
The  legal  Mrs.  Young  lived  at  the  White  House,  a 
modest  dwelling  at  a  little  distance  from  the  Lion  House. 
Three  favorites  had  each  a  separate  establishment.  All 
the  wives  were  working  women  save  Amelia,  Emmeline, 
and  Mrs.  Cobb  Young,  the  last  favorite  and  "  best  be- 
loved." He  wanted  no  "  ornaments"  about  him,  and 
despised  fashion  and  conventionalities.  When  the  first 
millinery  shop  was  established  in  Salt  Lake  City,  he 
said  it  was  as  "  terrible"  to  him  "  as  an  army  with  ban- 
ners." His  wives  had  none  of  the  Christian  marital  re- 
lations with  him.  They  met  in  the  dining-room  or  in 
the  parlor  at  evening  prayer,  when  the  household  col- 
lected at  the  ringing  of  a  bell  ;  but  the  greater  part 
seldom  saw  him  elsewhere.  They  had  no  romance  in 
their  lives,  only  hard  work  and  the  sacrifice  to  their 
faith.  The  penalty  of  a  scandal  to  a  Mormon  woman 
is  death,  and  few  women  have  the  bravery  to  hazard  it ; 


NEW    LIGHT   ON    MORMONISM.  163 

so  Brigham's  wives  endured  the  situation.  His  attentions 
to  his  wives  in  public  were  calculated.  His  first  wife 
and  a  favorite  sat  on  a  sofa  with  him  at  all  festivities. 
The  other  wives  found  places  as  they  pleased,  although 
he  usually  danced  with  five  or  six  of  them  after  he  had 
done  the  duty  dance  with  Amelia,  Emmeline,  or  "  the 
best  beloved."  He  danced  well  for  a  man  of  his  years, 
and  enjoyed  a  break-down  at  the  close  of  the  evening. 
He  was  habitually  an  early-riser,  and  transacted  a  great 
deal  of  business  before  breakfast.  At  nine  o'clock  he  be- 
gan the  routine  of  the  day  in  his  office,  with  the  assistance 
of  a  private  secretary.  He  schooled  himself  to  settle  any 
point  in  once  thinking  of  it  deliberately,  then  gave  his 
decision,  and  nearer  wished  to  hear  of  it  again.  From 
ten  to  eleven  he  gave  audience  to  apostles,  bishops,  lead- 
ing citizens,  and  strangers.;  and  not  infrequently  to 
"  Sisters"  who  had  complaints  to  make  of  their  hus- 
bands. Brigham  had  complete  control  over  his  people. 
He  knew  everything.  He  claimed  that  the  Saints  could 
do  nothing  without  his  knowledge  and  approval,  "  even 
to  the  ribbons  a  woman  should  wear."  He  assumed  the 
most  vital  interests  in  every  man's  affairs.  The  only 
rank  in  Zion  is  the  priesthood,  but  the  "royal. blood 
of  Young  overtops  them  all,"  he  said.  His  journeys 
through  the  territory  were  processions  of  state.  Ban- 
ners were  paraded  before  him  bearing  "Hail  to  Zi oil's 
Chief,"  "  God  Bless  Brigham  Young,"  and  other  sen- 
timents of  welcome  and  adulation.  .He  took  his  fa- 
vorite wife  with  him  in  these  triumphal  visits.  As  a 
preacher  he  was  forcible  and  vigorous,  but  his  language 
was  a  mixture  of  profanity,  vulgarity,  bad  grammar, 
"  cheap  rant,  and  poor  cant."  He  was  ever  listened  to 
attentively,  as  his  hearers  expected  he  would  "  say  some- 
thing" they  were  anxious  to  learn.  The  actual  wealth 


164  NEW   LIGHT    0]ST    MOKMONISM. 

of  this  prophet  will  never  be  known.  He  had  vast 
tracts  of  land  in  Utah,  interests  in  various  railways,  mines, 
and  manufactories,  was  the  third  largest  depositor  in 
the  Bank  of  England,  and  had  other  moneys  "  salted 
away"  for  necessities.  .  As  he  had  control  of  the  tithing, 
and  possessed  unlimited  credit,  he  could  add  "  house  to 
house"  and  "  field  to  field."  He  could  have  left  imper- 
ishable records  for  the  care  of  the  sick  and  needy  behind 
him  ;  but  ho  never  founded  a  hospital  or  institution 
worthy  of  mention.  There  never  were  people  more 
willing  to  obey  than  the  Mormons  during  his  adminis- 
tration. He  could  have  swayed  them  as  he  pleased  ;  and 
if  he  had  been  a  good  man  he  had  a  rare  opportunity 
for  proving  it.  In  the  later  years  of  his  life  an  English 
tourist  described  Brigham  Young  as  being  above  the 
middle  height,  portly  in  person,  and  as  having  a  sensual 
expression  of  countenance.  He  had  the  look  of  a  deter- 
mined man  and  the  character  of  an  obstinate  one,  and,  as 
an  enthusiastic  admirer  once  said  of  him,  "  If  he  makes 
up  his  mind  to  do  a  thing,  all  hell  can't  stop  him." 
The  Prophet's  dress  was  of  gray  homespun  cloth,  with 
which  he  wore  a  black  satin  vest  and  cravat,  with  a 
broad,  unstarched  collar  turned  over  it.  He  was  a  para- 
gon of  neatness.  Pie  slept  alone  ;  his  life  was  ascetic  ; 
his  favorite  food  baked  potatoes,  with  buttermilk,  and 
his  drink  water.  His  followers  deemed  him  "  an  angel 
of  light ;  his  enemies  a  goblin  damned."  His  two  most 
conspicuous  qualities  were  his  selfishness  and  his  impost- 
ure. No  mortal  can  estimate  the  dreadful  influence  of 
Brigham  Young's  thirty-years'  rule  upon  the  Mormons.* 
He  set  them  examples  of  robbery,  perjury,  open  murder, 
and  secret  assassination.  He  often  preached  the  neces- 


*  Appendix  No.  25. 


NEW    LIGHT    ON    HORMONISM.  165 

si  ty  of  murder  (blood  atonement)  in  order  to  save  souls. 
In  1S57  Ann  Eliza,  his  fifteenth  wife,  left  him,  and  peti- 
tioned the  United  States  Court  for  a  divorce,  which  was 
denied  on  the  ground  that  the  marriage  wras  polygamous, 
and  therefore  null  and  void.  In  1871  Brigham  was  in- 
dicted for  polygamy,  but  no  conviction  was  reached 
through  the  lax  enforcement  of  the  law  by  the  United 
States  officials  then  in  power.  Besides  his  other  offices, 
he  was  "  Grand  Archer  of  the  Order  of  Danites." 

He  left  seventy-five  children,  all  amply  provided  for. 
According  to  some  authorities,  he  had  thirty-six  wives. 
Dora  Young,  one  of  his  numerous  daughters,  apostatized, 
and  declared  that  the  first  thing  that  opened  her  eyes  to 
the  atrocities  of  Mormonism  was  her  father's  wholesale 
perjuries.  With  the  bravery  of  spirit  in  which  this  re- 
markable man  encountered  every  circumstance  in  his 
eventful  career,  Brigham  Young  arranged  his  temporal 
affairs  before  making  his  exit  from  life.  He  ordered 
where  and  how  he  should  be  buried.  Evidently  he 
feared  that  some  of  his  many  victims  would  endeavor  to 
procure  his  body  after  death,  either  through  motives  of 
revenge  or  the  desire  for  profit,  and  his  wishes  were 
carefully  executed.  His  grave  is  in  an  otherwise  unused 
yard  in  the  rear  of  one  of  his  houses  of  residence.  An 
iron  railing  surrounds  a  flat  gray  stone  slab,  which  bears 
no  inscription.  The  slab  is  said  to  weigh  several  tons, 
and  covers  the  vault  wherein  the  remains  of  the  second 
Prophet  rest,  in  a  stone  sarcophagus  surrounded  by  sev- 
eral outer  casings  that  are  cemented  with  extraordinary 
care.  After  his  burial  there  was  a  report  that  he  was 
still  living,  which  probably  arose  from  the  fact  that  the 
most  ignorant  and  deluded  of  the  Mormons  were  unwill- 
ing to  believe  that  Brigham  Young  was  mortal.  There 
are  still  people  among  the  Saints  who  aver  that  their 


166  NEW    LIGHT   OX   MORMONISM. 

great  Prophet  is  alive  and  dwelling  somewhere  in  obscu- 
rity from  motives  that  he  deems  wise  and  prudential,  and 
that  when  the  time  arrives  for  him  to  reappear  he  will  re- 
turn to  them  with  renewed  power  and  glory. 

His  demise  to  the  better  educated  of  his  followers,  to 
his  partners  in  fraud  and  delusion,  was  an  evident  relief. 
During  his  life  they  were  merely  his  puppets,  which  he 
swayed  at  his  will.  They  accepted  his  policy  in  all 
directions,  but  could  carry  it  out  in  agreement  with  their 
own  ideas. 

This  man  will  air-ays  stand  out  as  a  unique  character 
in  history.  His  mental  abilities  were  greater  than  those 
of  Joseph  Smith,  but  his  personal  powers  of  attractiveness 
were  far  less.  Some  one  has.  written  of  him  as  follows  : 
u  Brigham  Young  is  very  human.  He  can  button  him- 
self up  to  an  unwelcome  visitor  in  a  style  that  a  stranger 
is  not  likely  to  forget  ;  but  when  he  is  in  excellent 
humor  he  is  a  perfect  Chesterfield."  lie  bewailed  the 
fact  that  there  was  silver  and  gold  in  the  hills  of  Utah  ;  he 
forbade  his  people  from  searching  for  it,  and  the  first  pros- 
pectors who  went  to  Utah  to  look  for  it  he  ordered  should 
be  assassinated.  He  said  :  "  If  men  grow  rich  they  will 
want  fine  houses  and  horses  ;  their  women  will  want  fine 
clothes,  and  it  will  be  the  destruction  of  our  holy  religion." 

He  called  himself  "  the  lion  of  the  Lord"  and  he 
made  freedom  of  thought  as  impossible  to  the  Mormons 
as  to  idiots  or  slaves.  In  common  with  the  elders  and 
other  Mormons,  Brigham  was  fond  of  talking  of  the 
mysteries  of  his  religion.  "Whether  it  is  ever  permitted 
to  the  unsanctified  to  gain  an  insight  into  these  "  mys- 
teries" or  no,  this  much  is  certain — the  facts  which  are 
hidden  by  the  sayings  and  writings  of  the  Mormons  are 
ofttimes  more  interesting  than  any,  if  any,  which  they 
have  yet  disclosed. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

John  Taylor  elected  as  successor  to  the  second  Prophet  —  The  trial  of 
liudger  Clawson  for  bigamy—  Salt  Lake  City  —  Its  beautiful  location 
—  The  Tabernacle  and  public  buildings  —  Mormon  conferences  — 
The  freedom  of  the  ballot  in  Utah  —  The  present  generation  of  Mor- 
mons —  The  Territory  of  Utah  —  Predictions  regarding  the  future  of 
Mormonism  —  Far-seeing  Mormons  preparing  a  rendezvous  for  the 
victims  of  the  Edmunds  law. 


Brigliam  Young  died,  in  August,  1877,  it  was 
generally  believed  throughout  the  civilized  world  that 
the  disintegration  of  Mormonism  would  follow  that 
event.  With  the  removal  of  his  iron  and  arbitrary  rule, 
it  was  supposed  that  there  would  be  an  independence  of 
feeling  among  the  Saints  that  had  not  previously  existed, 
and  that  as  railways  were  constructed,  mines  developed, 
and  industries  established,  together  with  the  influx  of  a 
Gentile  population,  the  founding  of  Christian  schools, 
and  various  institutions  under  the  patronage  of  Christian 
missions,  the  whole  scheme  of  "  exclusive  salvation" 
would  gradually  become  extinct.  The  fallacy  of  such 
an  opinion  is  shown  by  the  situation  of  affairs  in  Utah  at 
the  present  time.  Brigham  Young,  Jr.,  failing  to 
secure  his  father's  office,  John  Taylor  was  elected  as  the 
successor  of  the  second  Prophet.  The  office  fell  to 
Taylor,  but  upon  the  shoulders  of  George  Q.  Cannon  the 
mantle  of  authority  really  descended. 

Both  men  have  played  conspicuous  roles  in  the  history 
of  Mormonism.  Both  are  of  English  birth,  and  emigrated 
to  this  country  when  very  young.  John  Taylor  is  adroit, 


108  NEW    LIGHT    OX    MORMON  ISM. 

shrewd,  subtle  ;  is  well  educated,  is  a  vigorous  writer,  and 
possesses  the  rarest  tact,  or  he  never  could  have  steered  his 
way  through  the  stormy  seas  of  Mormon  experiences 
successfully,   or  adapted  himself  to  the  changeful  and 
tyrannical  rule  of  Brigham  Young.     He  was  a  favorite 
with  Joseph   Smith,  and  was  with  him  and  his  brother 
Hyrum  in   the  jail  at  Carthage,  111.,  at  the  time  they 
were  Idlled  by  an  infuriated  mob.     He  was  then  called 
the  "  Apostle  Taylor,"  and,  it  is  said,  "  comforted  "  the 
brothers  while  they  were  in  durance  vile.     As  he  was  a 
man  of  marked  ability,  and  made  himself  useful  in  many 
ways  in  Utah,  he  was  intrusted  with  important  missions 
by  Brigham  Young  to  distant  countries,  and  possibly  to 
keep  him  from  the  realization  of  ambitious  schemes  at 
home,  as  many  other  men   of  talent  were  sent  by  the 
shrewd  Prophet.     In  the  year  1852  Taylor  founded  a 
Mormon  school  in  Paris  called  "  L'Etoile  du  Deseret," 
and  has  translated  the  "  Book  of  Mormon"  into  French 
and  German.     He  has  also  written  several  books  for  the 
enlightenment  of  the  Mormons  in  spiritual  matters.     Of 
these  is  a  work  he  calls  "  The  Government  of  God," 
which  has  been  translated  into  several  languages.     Presi- 
dent Taylor  is  now  considerably  over  seventy  years  of 
age,  and  has  been  a  resident  of  the  United  States  for 
fifty  years.     He  is  tall  and  distinguished  in  his  personal 
appearance,  and  has  the  winning  arts  which  culture  and 
travel  frequently  give  to  a  man  of  wit.     His  residence  in 
Salt  Lake  City  is  called  "  the  Gardo,"  a  handsome  house 
that  Brigham  built  for  his  favorite  Amelia,  and  after  the 
Prophet's  death  was  purchased  as  the  future  home  for 
Mormon  presidents.     It  is,  in  fact,  the  "  White  House" 
to  the  people,  who  look  upon  Taylor  as  their  real  presi- 
dent and  political  as  well  as  spiritual  ruler.     He  has  four 
wives,  and  while  on  a  mission  in  the  Isle  of  Jersey  a 


NEW   LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM.  169 

few  years  ago  made  proposals  of  polygamous  marriage 
to  a  pretty  maiden  whom  be  converted  to  Morrnonism. 
Through  the  preaching  of  Young,  Taylor,  and  Cannon, 
and  other  noted  men  of  the  faith,  there  are  seventeen 
places  for  Mormon  meetings  in  London  alone,  and  a 
large  number  of  Mormon  missionaries  scattered  over 
Great  Britain.  George  Q.  Cannon  has  been  a  resident 
of  the  United  States  for  forty  years.  For  several  years 
he  was  attorney  for  the  Mormons  at  Washington,  and 
although  he  has  four  wives  and  four  broods  of  children, 
occupied  a  seat  as  delegate  in  Congress.  Some  one  has 
said  of  him  :  "  He  is  the  sweetest  and  most  plausible  soph- 
ist on  earth."  When  Brigham  Young  named  him  for 
the  place  he  said  :  "I  will  thrust  polygamy  down  the 
throats  of  Congressmen."  Mr.  Cannon's  Congressional 
record  proved  that  his  leader's  opinion  of  him  was  amply 
justified,  and  that  the  affairs  of  his  people  were  adroitly 
managed  by  his  wily  stratagems  and  the  influence  of  his 
honeyed  speech. 

Mr.  Cannon  has  recently  been  appointed  legal  con- 
troller and  counsellor  of  Mormon  affaire  by  President 
Taylor.  He  is  the  premier  of  the  Mormon  estate,  the 
head  centre  of  all  matters  concerning  his  people.  From 
his  office  at  St.  George  he  issues  the  commands,  openly 
or  secretly,  which  are  to  direct  his  people.  His  ex- 
pressed opinion  on  any  given  subject  is  an  Ultima  Thule 
to  the  followers  of  Joseph,  which  they  dare  not  dispute. 
In  a  defence  of  Mormonism  Mr.  Cannon  has  written  : 
"  Utah  has  been  the  Cinderella  of  the  family  of  States  ; 
give  her  a  fair  opportunity,  and  sse  if  she  will  not  rank 
with  all  that  is  admirable  and  attractive  with  her  more 
favored  sisters." 

"With  the  death  of  Brigham  Young  the  American 
leadership  of  the  Mormons  was  at  an  end,  as  nearly  all 


170  NEW    LIGHT   ON    MORMCXISM. 

of  their  more  influential  men  are  of  foreign  birth.  If  a 
Mormon  is  asked  of  his  belief,  he  will  show  a  card,  pre- 
pared for  such  inquiry,  on  which  are  printed  the  thirteen 
most  important  articles  of  his  faith  ;  but  there  is  nothing 
of  polygamy  included  in  these  articles.  Their  belief,  as 
professed  and  practised,  are  two  different  things.  While 
Mormonism  preaches  that  polygamy  is  the  one  divine  in- 
stitution required  in  these  latter  days  to  regenerate  and 
sanctify  a  world  steeped  in  ignorance,  their  articles  of 
faith,  as  shown  to  Gentiles,  do  not  even  mention  it. 
Mrs.  Paddock,  the  author  of  "  The  Fate  of  Madame  La 
Tour"' — a  powerful  story  of  Mormon  life — and  also  a  keen 
observer  of  passing  events  in  Utah,  has  recently  written 
to  a  friend  in  the  East :  "  There  have  been  few  material 
changes  in  the  condition  of  affairs  in  the  Territory,  with 
the  exception  of  those  resulting  from  the  enforcement  of 
the  Edmunds  law.  Polygamists  have  been  disfranchised 
and  rendered  ineligible  to  office,  but  practically  the  old 
men,  the  Mormon  leaders  who  have  controlled  the  affairs 
of  Utah  for  thirty  years,  have  simply  abdicated  in  favor 
of  their  sons.  Consequently  the  Territory  is  still  under 
Mormon  rule,  and  the  priesthood  have  it  still  in  their 
power  to  inflict  severe  punishment  upon  those  who  apos- 
tate from  the  Mormon  faith.  This  power  is  exercised 
even  outside  of  Utah  toward  apostates.  Please  under- 
stand that  polygamy  is  not  dying  out.  It  is  strengthen- 
ing itself,  enlarging  its  borders,  and  claiming  fresh  vic- 
tims. What  was  done  openly  in  this  direction  a  few 
years  ago  is  now  done  in  secret,  but  the  effect  is  as  bad, 
or  worse.  Young  girls  with  babes  in  their  arms  are 
taught  to  endure  anything  rather  than  give  the  names  of 
the  fathers  of  their  children — the  men  to  whom  they 
have  been  '  sealed. '  It  is  the  man's  safety  that  is 
secured  by  such  means,  and  his  interests  are  to  be  con- 


NEW   LIGHT   ON   ilORMONISM.  171 

sidered  in  advance  of  everything  else.  But  Mormon 
ingenuity  lias  devised  still  another  method  by  which 
men  may  escape  legal  penalties.  According  to  the  pres- 
ent interpretation  of  the  law,  it  is  the  marriage  ceremony 
that  constitutes  the  crime  of  bigamy  ;  and  if  this  is  dis- 
pensed with,  prosecution  for  bigamy  cannot  follow. ' ' 

An  intelligent  woman,  at  present  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  who  was  formerly  a  Mormon,  lived 
with  Bishop  Johnson  ten  years  (according  to  her  own 
testimony)  as  a  plural  wife  before  she  was  sealed  to  him  ; 
and  says  it  is  a  common  thing  in  the  settlements  for  men 
to  take  plural  wives  without  any  ceremony  whatever. 
The  condition  of  the  women  who  live  in  polygamy  is 
not  the  saddest  feature  of  the  system.  It  is  the  children 
who  suffer  for  the  sins  of  their  parents  ;  who,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  life  lived  by  their  mother,  are  born  de- 
formed in  body  as  well  as  in  soul. 

"  A  few  years  ago  an  educated,  intelligent  gentleman,  a  journalist, 
came  here  from  Europe,  bringing  his  young  wife  with  him.  How  such 
people  came  to  be  entangled  in  the  meshes  of  Mormonism  was  a 
marvel  ;  but  both  appeared  to  be  sincere  believers  in  the  Latter-Day 
Gospel.  Soon  a  strong  pressure  was  brought  to  bear  upon  the  hus- 
band to  induce  him  to  contract  a  second  marriage.  The  wife,  find- 
ing opposition  in  vain,  at  length  gave  her  consent,  and  the  bride  was 
brought  home.  A  few  months  afterward  the  first  wife  gave  birth  to 
a  child.  The  poor  babe,  doomed  to  bear  the  sins  of  others,  never 
smiled,  and  never  cried  aloud,  but  always,  night  and  day,  it  wept 
silently.  Even  in  sleep  great  tears  forced  themselves  from  beneath 
its  closed  eyelids,  and  rolled  over  its  cheeks,  while  its  face  bore  the 
expression,  not  of  infantile  grief,  but  of  the  terrible  anguish  that  the 
mother  had  endured  in  secret.  After  a  few  weeks  it  began  to  pine 
away,  and  at  length,  without  any  visible  ailment,  sank  into  its  grave. 

"  '  My  baby  died  of  a  broken  heart,'  said  the  wretched  mother. 
'  Every  hour  of  its  little  life  it  shed  the  tears  that  I  repressed  before  its 
birth,  and  the  agony  that  I  hid  in  my  heart  killed  it  at  last.' "  * 


From  "  Face  to  Face  with  Mormonism, "  by  Mrs.  Joseph  Cook. 


173  NEW    LIGHT    ON    MORMONIS3I. 

Every  Mormon  has  a  vote  to  be  cast  as  John  Taylor 
commands  ;  and  while  the  leaders  of  the  Saints  observe 
the  forms  of  republican  polity,  their  despotism  is  as  abso- 
lute in  its  control  as  any  on  earth.  Behind  the  Mormon 
creed  there  is  a  deadly  menace  to  free  government  few 
suspect.  Between  their  creed  and  the  Government  of 
the  United  States,  the  latter  is  of  no  account.  To  cir- 
cumvent the  laws  and  defeat  justice  is  the  aim  of  every 
Mormon  who  is  a  true  convert  to  the  faith. 

President  Arthur  has  won  the  respect  of  the  law-abid- 
ing citizens  of  Utah  by  his  recent  reappointment  of 
Governor  Eli  H.  Murray,  and  placing  Judge  Zane,  of 
Illinois,  at  the  head  of  the  Supreme  Court.  Judge 
Zane's  first  act  was  to  try  a  polygamist,  get  him  con- 
victed, refuse  bail,  and  send  him  to  the  penitentiary. 
This  polygamy  case  of  Rudger  Clawson,  the  son  of 
Bishop  Clawson,  has  attracted  attention  throughout  the 
country.  The  witnesses  in  Clawson's  defence  were 
among  the  most  influential  of  the  Saints.  Of  them  was 
John  Taylor,  who  is  said  to  have  surprised  his  followers 
by  his  testimony.  As  it  bears  upon  polygamy,  it  will  be 
given  in  part  as  it  was  reported  in  the  Salt  Lake  Tribune 
of  Saturday,  October  18th,  1884,  with  the  speech  of  Mr. 
Varian,  the  indictment,  Judge  Zane's  charge  to  the  jury, 
and  the  "  sentence."  He  testified  : 

"  I  am  president  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-Day 
Saints  ;  don't  know  how  long  I  have  been  president  ;  the  records 
would  show  ;  am  acquainted  to  some  extent  with  the  doctrines  of  the 
church  ;  am  acquainted  with  the  marriage  sacrament  ;  there  is  an 
Endowment  House  in  this  city  ;  marriages  by  members  of  the  Mor- 
mon Church  are  celebrated  at  the  Endowment  House  or  elsewhere  ; 
couldn't  say  where  else  ;  there  is  a  doctrine  of  the  church  of  plural 
marriage  most  certainly  ;  the  church  does  not  require  that  when 
members  of  the  faith  enter  into  plural  marriage,  they  must  go  through 
the  Endowment  House  ;  as  far  as  I  know,  most  of  the  marriages  are 


NEW    LIGHT    ON    MOIIMONISM.  173 

not  performed  in  the  Endowment  House  ;  I  know  of  plural  marriages 
beiug  performed  outside  of  the  Endowment  House  ;  can't  say  who 
the  parties  married  were  ;  I  have  no  recollection  of  any  plural  mar- 
riage taking  place  outside  of  one  of  the  places  designated  ;  there  is  no 
place  set  apart  specifically  for  performing  plural  marriages  ;  there  is  a 
place  set  apart  for  marriage  ceremonies  ;  one  place  is  the  Endowment 
House  and  the  other  at  our  temples  ;  the  Logan  Temple  was  dedi- 
cated this  past  summer  in  May  ;  prior  to  that  there  was  but  one  En- 
dowment House  in  the  Territory  ;  it  was  in  this  city  ;  there  was  a 
temple  at  St.  George  ;  there  were  no  others  ;  prior  to  May  last  there 
•were  no  other  places  set  apart  for  the  performance  of  marriage  cere- 
monies than  St.  George  and  this  city  ;  St.  George  is  in  Washington 
County  ;  the  church  recognizes  other  places  where  plural  marriages 
may  be  performed  outside  of  endowment  houses  and  temples,  under 
certain  circumstances  ;  can't  say  what  those  circumstances  are  ;  if  a 
man  and  woman  were  living  in  this  city  who  desired  to  enter  plural 
marriage,  they  would  not  necessarily  have  to  be  married  in  the  En  • 
dowinent  House  ;  if  they  desired  to  marry  outside  of  the  city,  they 
would  have  to  have  a  dispensation  for  the  performance  of  the  act, 
but  not  for  a  specific  place  ;  I  give  the  authority  to  marry  in  all 
cases  ;  persons  that  I  might  appoint  might  also  confer  that  authority  ; 
I  have  conferred  that  authority  in  the  past  three  years  on  Joseph  F. 
Smith,  George  Q.  Cannon,  and  others  ;  I  don't  remember  what  others 
at  present  ;  this  authority  would  be  a  general  one  till  rescinded  ;  I 
cannot  give  the  names  of  the  priests  authorized  to  perform  these 
plural  marriages  within  the  past  three  years  ;  can't  give  any  of 
them  ;  I  could  give  you  hundreds  of  names  of  parties  in  this  Terri- 
tory who  have  the  authority  ;  there  are  no  records  kept  of  these  ap- 
pointments ;  I  don't  know  who  all  these  parties  are  ;  there  are  parties 
•whom  I  do  not  know  whether  they  are  authorized  or  not  ;  I  cannot 
give  you  the  names  of  parties  who  were  authorized  to  perform  the 
marriage  ceremonies  in  the  Endowment  House  in  1883  ;  I  might  as- 
certain the  names,  if  there  is  a  record  of  marriages  kept  ;  if  I  wanted 
to  find  out  where  the  records  were  I  might  be  able  to  find  them  ;  I 
don't  think  I  will  be  good  enough  to  look  for  the  records  for  you  ;  I 
don't  know  anything  about  the  record  ;  I  can't  tell  you  who  the  cus- 
todian of  the  records  is  ;  I  don't  think  I  ever  saw  the  marriage  record  ; 
I  have  never  given  any  direction  as  to  the  custody  of  the  record  ; 
can't  say  that  I  ever  made  inquiry  as  to  the  whereabouts  of  the 
record  ;  have  never  been  told  who  the  custodian  of  the  record  was  ; 
don't  know  whether  in  1883  Angus  Cannon  or  Elias  Smith  were  cus- 
todians of  the  record  ;  I  do  not  know  whether  there  is  any  regulation 


174  NEW   LIGHT   ON    MOR5IONISM. 

of  the  church  in  regard  to  the  records  ;  no  one  who  has  not  had  the 
authority  conferred  on  him  can  celebrate  marriage';  a  number  of 
others  besides  myself  can  confer  this  authority  ;  I  am  the  only  one 
having  the  authority  ;  I  can't  give  you  the  names  of  parties  in  this 
city  authorized  to  perform  plural  marriage  ;  the  ceremony  of  marriage 
is  secret  as  to  some  ;  with  the  exception  of  those  present  taking  part 
in  the  ceremony  and  the  contracting  parties,  it  is  not  necessarily  a 
secret  ceremony  ;  there  might  be  a  great  many  others  in  whom  the 
church  had  confidence,  who  would  have  a  right  to  attend  ;  the  par- 
ties present  at  such  a  marriage  are  not  sworn  to  secrecy,  not  that  I 
know  of." 

"  What  is  the  ceremony  of  plural  marriage  ?' ' 

"  I  decline  to  answer  the  question." 

Mr.  Varian,  in  his  speech  in  behalf  of  the  prosecution, 
made  a  number  of  telling  points  relating  to  the  Mormon 
hierarchy.  In  substance  he  said  : 

"  That  the  Government  had  again  been  brought  face  to  face  with 
the  Mormon  Church.  There  had  been  many  violations  of  the  law  of 
1862,  but  there  had  been  few  prosecutions.  The  reasons  for  this 
were  apparent  to  men  who  resided  in  the  community.  For  years  the 
dominant  church  had  arrayed  itself  in  one  particular  against  the  law 
of  the  land,  holding  that  the  Constitution  of  this  country  guaranteed 
religious  liberty  to  every  man.  This  church  has  not  only  set  itself 
against  the  laws,  but  against  the  decisions  of  the  Federal  courts* 
claiming  to  be  governed  by  a  higher  law  than  human  law  ;  forgetting 
that  it  had  its  very  existence  from  the  Government  ;  that  the  very 
land  upon  which  were  built  its  temples  and  its  tabernacles  ;  that  the 
very  fields  from  which  it  drew  its  tithing  fund  ;  that  the  very  ex- 
penses which  enables  it  to  carry  on  its  local  government,  in  great 
part,  at  least,  had  fallen  from  the  munificent  hand  of  the  Government. 

"  It  was  at  first  claimed  that  polygamy  was  a  tenet  of  the  faith,  and 
upon  that  ground  claimed  protection  for  their  religious  belief  under 
the  Constitution.  On  that  issue  it  went  to  the  country,  and  the 
courts  and  the  United  States  Supreme  Court  in  the  Miles  case  said  un- 
mistakably that  no  such  article  of  faith  could  claim  protection  under 
the  Constitution  of  the  country. 

"Recollecting  that  the  practice  of  polygamy  was  said  to  be  en- 
joined by  God,  it  would  appear  that  if  obedience  was  required  to  the 
law  of  God,  that  the  same  obedience  would  requii-e  a  submission  to 
the  consequences.  If  .  martyrdom  was  to  be  invoked,  martyrdom 


NEW    LIGHT   OX    MORMOXISM.  175 

ought  to  be  endured.  It  was  not  the  history  of  martyrs,  when  called 
upon  to  suffer  for  their  faith  or  belief,  to  seek  to  defeat  the  adminis- 
tration of  law  by  acts  of  concealment,  by  denial  and  evasion,  and  by 
equivocation  and  fraud.  The  spectacle  presented  here  was  that  of  an 
organized  community,  an  organized  religious  society,  teaching  from 
its  pulpit  and  press  that  polygamy  was  right  and  commanded  of 
God  ;  that  the  Supremo  Court  of  the  United  States  was  not  the  final 
arbiter  of  the  laws  of  the  country,  notwithstanding  the  Constitution 
has  said  that  it  shall  be. 

"In  this  case  the  prosecution  had  called  many  witnesses,  it  might 
seem  to  the  jury  -unnecessarily.  But  there  was  a  reason  for  it.  The 
heads  of  the  church,  those  prominent  in  authority,  the  bishops  and 
elders,  as  well  as  the  immediate  relatives  on  all  sides  of  the  defend- 
ant, had  been  brought  in  for  the  purpose  of  exhibiting  to  the  court 
something  of  the  difficulty  and  the  reason  of  its  existence,  in  carrying 
on  a  prosecution  in  this  community  against  a  member  of  this  church. 
The  prosecution  wanted  to  show  to  the  jury  directly  if  they  could, 
indirectly  if  they  could  not,  that  although  it  was  enjoined  upon  this 
people  publicly  at  their  meetings  and  in  their  tabernacles  to  live 
their  religion,  yet  that  command  was  only  to  be  carried  out  in 
secrecy,  that  it  was  to  be  enshrouded  in  the  darkness  of  night,  that 
no  one  connected  with  the  ceremony  must  know  of  his  neighbor, 
that  no  one  connected  with  the  ceremony  must  allow  his  right  hand 
to  know  what  his  left  hand  did. 

"  No  one  from  President  Taylor  down  has  been  able  to  tell  any- 
thing about  a  record  being  kept  of  marriages  performed  in  the 
church.  Such  an  utter  absence  of  memory,  such  an  utter  mental 
void,  such  absolute  forgetfulness  was  perhaps  never  before  exhibited 
in  a  court  of  justice.  '  I  do  not  remember,'  'I  do  not  recollect,'  '  I 
think  there  must  be  such  a  record,  but  I  do  not  know  where  it  is,' '  I 
do  not  dare  to  inform  myself,'  ;  I  will  not  be  good  enough  to  inform 
myself ' — these  and  similar  expressions  fell  from  the  mouths  of  the 
witnesses  ;  and  he  submitted  to  the  jury  that,  as  they  looked  over 
the  case  and  reviewed  it  in  their  minds,  all  this  must  plainly  show  to 
them  that  theie  was  an  organized  effort,  an  organized  system  directed 
in  its  objects  to  frustrate  and  defeat  the  administration  of  justice. 
There  was  a  forgetfulness  which  was  guilty  in  its  origin  and  concep- 
tion, and  a  man  could  as  easily  commit  perjury  by  saying  he  did  not 
remember  or  he  did  not  recollect,  as  he  could  by  affirming  a  negative 
to  a  fact.  In  a  celebrated  trial  in  England  a  witness  baffled  all  the 
efforts  of  Lord  Brougham  to  elicit  the  facts  in  the  case  by  simply 
responding  to  all  questions,  '  I  don't  remember,'  and  for  years  after 


176  NEW   LIGHT   ON"   MORMONISJT. 

the  words  '  I  don't  remember '  passed  in  the  households  of  England 
as  a  synonym  for  fraud  and  perjury. 

"  The  prosecution  had  been  charged  with  excessive  zealousness. 
He  failed  to  see  it  in  this  case,  but  took  the  opportunity  of  saying,  in 
behalf  of  the  office  he  represented,  that  they  purposed  manifesting  in 
all  these  cases  all  the  zeal  that  the  cases  would  warrant,  until  they 
could  establish  the  law  here  as  it  was  written  on  the  statute  books. 

"  This  case  against  the  defendant  stood  before  the  jury  on  two 
charges — one  that  of  unlawful  marriage  and  the  other  that  of  unlawful 
cohabitation.  He  directed  the  attention  of  the  jury  to  the  first  of 
the  two  charges,  stating  that  such  a  charge  could  be  substantiated  as 
well  by  circumstantial  as  by  direct  evidence.  No  witness  saw  the 
marriage  performed,  there  was  no  record  produced  because  none  was 
kept,  and  nothing  but  circumstances  and  admissions  could  establish 
the  guilt  of  the  defendant.  It  was  not  to  be  supposed  that  defendant 
in  entering  into  this  illegal  relationship  would  publish  it  to  the 
world.  The  admissions  of  defendant  make  the  strongest  kind  of  evi- 
dence, and  when  corroborated,  as  they  are  in  this  case,  are  entitled  to 
great  weight. 

"  It  is  not  disputed  that  defendant  married  Florence  Dinwoodey 
for  a  first  wife  in  August,  1882,  and  it  is  alleged  that  he  married  Lydia 
Spencer  some  time  during  the  following  year.  Defendant  was  a 
member  of  the  Mormon  Church  in  good  fellowship,  his  father  was 
and  is  a  bishop,  and  his  family  are  all  followers  of  the  faith.  The 
first  that  is  known  of  defendant's  connection  with  Lydia  Spencer  is 
her  coming  to  Spencer  Clawson's  store,  where  defendant  was  em- 
ployed. She  moves  to  a  house  on  Third  South  Street,  and  lives  there 
in  a  bedroom  and  kitchen  alone.  Defendant  is  seen  going  and  leav- 
ing there  a  great  number  of  times.  Connect  the  visits  of  defendant 
to  Lydia  Spencer  in  the  Tenth  Ward,  his  visits  with  her  to  the 
theatre  and  Tabernacle,  his  drawing  water  for  her  in  midday  a 
number  of  times,  her  moving  to  defendant's  house  in  the  Eight- 
eenth Ward,  her  dining  and  living  there  as  a  wife  would,  her  join- 
ing the  Eighteenth  Ward  Mutual  Improvement  Association  under 
the  name  of  Lillie  Clawson  the  night  defendant  did,  and  a  chain  of 
circumstances  is  linked  together,  whose  strength  cannot  be  disputed. 
Then  after  defendant  was  indicted  Lydia  Spencer  moves  to  Mrs. 
Smith's  house  on  West  Temple  Street,  where  defendant  visited  her  a 
number  of  times,  and  had  access  by  a  back  door.  Lydia  Spencer, 
who,  above  all  persons  on  earth,  ought  to  have  an  interest  in  the 
matter  in  protecting  her  fair  name,  has  disappeared  so  utterly  that 
no  one  appears  to  know  where  she  has  gone.  She  has  gone  where 


NEW   LIGHT   OX   MORMONISlf.  177 

the  woodbine  twineth,  but  will  '  bob  up  serenely  '  when  the  jury  has 
brought  in  its  verdict  and  the  case  is  concluded.  Even  her  own 
mother  does  not  appear  to  know  where  she  is  or  when  she  will  return. 
The  mother  of  defendant's  first  wife  has  also  mysteriously  disap- 
peared. Mrs.  Margaret  Clawson,  the  mother  of  defendant,  has  also 
dropped  out  of  existence  in  a  miraculous  manner,  she  who  is  inter- 
ested above  all  others  in  maintaining  her  son's  fair  name.  These  are 
all  small  circumstances,  but  they  are  sufficient  to  cast  upon  the  de- 
fendant the  burden  of  explaining  them  away. 

"  Now,  as  to  the  admissions  of  defendant.  You  saw  Mr.  Caine  on 
the  stand.  He  could  have  no  motive  to  attack  the  people  of  his  faith 
or  his  ancestry.  His  father  to-day  represents  this  people  in  Congress. 
He  is  positive  that  defendant  admitted  to  him  that  Lydia  Spencer 
was  his  second  wife.  Three  witnesses  are  brought  forward  to  contra- 
dict Mr.  Caine,  and  these  are  the  only  three  witnesses  for  the  de- 
fence. Instead  of  the  defence  bringing  witnesses  to  contradict  the 
marriage,  they  bring  forward  three  men  to  impeuch  Caine' s  testi- 
mony. These  witnesses  were  all  witnesses  for  the  prosecution,  and 
were  asked  whether  they  had  ever  heard  the  matter  of  defendant's 
marriage  to  Lydia  Spencer  mentioned  in  defendant's  presence,  and 
they  all  answered  no.  The  witness  Lund  remembered  no  conversa- 
tion about  defendant  acknowledging  Lydia  Spencer  as  his  second 
wife,  and  yet  when  he  was  put  on  the  stand  as  a  witness  for  tne  de- 
fence, he  remembers  clearly  a  conversation  on  the  subject  had  in 
April,  1883. 

"  His  memory  was  refreshed  by  reading  Mr.  Caine's  testimony  the 
day  before  he  testified  the  first  time,  and  yet  when  he  testified  the 
first  time  he  remembered  nothing  aboiit  it.  This  witness  slunk  out 
of  the  court-room  when  he  had  finished  testifying,  as  though  the 
burden  of  his  infamy  would  crush  him  to  the  ground. 

"  The  next  witness  brought  to  impeach  Mr.  Caine  was  Orson  Kod- 
gers,  and  he  was  another  of  the  gibbering  idiots  who  knew  nothing. 
B.  V.  Decker  was  the  third  and  last  witness  brought  to  impeach  Mr. 
Caine.  I  ask  you  whether  this  evidence  for  the  defence  did  not 
strengthen  Mr.  Caine's  testimony? 

"  When  these  circtimstances  are  woven  together  they  make  a  case 
concerning  which  there  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt.  It  was  to  the 
speaker's  mind  a  rather  solemn  occasion  than  otherwise,  for  never 
before  had  the  exact  condition  of  affairs  here  been  brought  home  so 
forcibly  to  his  mind.  I  now  direct  your  attention  to  the  question  of 
jurisdiction — that  is,  as  to  whether  the  second  marriage  was  per- 
formed within  the  jurisdiction  of  this  court.  If  the  marriage  had  not 


178  KEW    LIGHT   ON   MORMOXIS3I. 

taken  place  in  the  counties  over  which  this  court  had  jurisdiction, 
the  defendant  might  easily  have  proved  this  by  the  testimony  of  per- 
sons other  than  himself.  A  prima  facie  case  having  been  made  out 
by  the  prosecution,  and  there  being  no  explanation  by  the  defence,  * 
the  jury  is  to  presume  that  the  marriage  took  place  -within  the  juris- 
diction. Defendant  was  employed  at  the  Z.  C.  II.  I.  prior  to  Decem- 
ber, 1882,  and  being  a  private  corresponding  clerk,  it  is  testified  to 
that  he  was  there  continuously.  After  January,  1883,  the  testimony 
shows  that  the  defendant  was  not  absent  from  town  one  day  up  to 
the  time  of  his  indictment.  It  was  about  January,  1883,  that  Lydia 
Spencer's  connection  with  defendant  is  first  shown.  As  book-keeper 
of  Spencer  Clawson,  the  entries  on  the  book  show  conclusively  that 
he  was  within  this  jurisdiction  for  the  past  two  years.  The  jury 
would  be  warranted  in  presuming  from  the  circumstances  the  fact 
that  defendant  was  not  absent  from  the  jurisdiction,  and  that  the 
second  marriage  took  place  within  it. 

"  The  defendant  is  a  young  man,  standing  upon  the  threshold  of 
life.  If  he  went  into  the  marriage  relation  under  the  laws  of  the 
church,  he  knew  what  would  follow  the  results  of  his  act.  Had  he 
reflected,  he  would  have  seen  that  civilization  was  coming  westward 
and  that  the  time  was  coming  when  the  law  would  rise  up  in  its 
majesty  and  be  vindicated.  He  would  have  known  that  when  the 
conscience  of  the  American  people  was  pricked,  as  it  was  when  slavery 
was  dominant,  that  this  government  would  rise  up  in  its  glory  and 
crush  out  all  opposition  to  its  laws.  Had  he  reflected,  he  must  have 
known  that  the  laws  of  this  country  are  supreme,  and  that  all  church 
laws  in  conflict  with  it  must  sooner  or  later  become  nugatory  and  of 
no  effect.  The  defendant  must  suffer  for  the  consequences  of  his 
own  act." 

VERBATIM    REPORT. 

By  the  Court.  Mr.  Clawson,  will  you  stand  up  ? 

The  defendant  rises  to  his  feet. 

By  the  Court.  You  were  indicted  in  this  court  upon  an  indictment 
charging  that  you  have  been  guilty  of  polygamy  on  the  dates  charged 
thereon,  by  marrying  Lydia  Spencer,  while  your  former  wife,  Florence 
Ann  Clawson,  was  still  living.  In  the  second  count  of  that  indict- 
ment you  were  charged  with  unlawfully  cohabiting  with  two  women, 
Florence  Ann  Clawson  and  Lydia  Spencer.  To  that  indictment  you 
entered  a  plea  of  not  gtiilty,  and  a  jury  was  sworn  to  try  the  issue  ; 
and  after  hearing  the  evidence,  and  the  arguments  of  counsel,  you 
were  found  guilty  upon  both  charges. 


NEW    LIGHT    OIx    MOHMONISM.  179 

Have  you  any  further  legal  cause  to  show  why  judgment  should  not 
be  pronounced  against  you  ? 

By  the  Defendant.  I'our  Honor,  since  the  jury  that  recently  sat  on 
my  case  have  seen  proper  to  find  a  verdict  of  guSty,  I  have  only  this 
to  say,  why  judgment  should  not  be  pronounced  against  me.  I  may 
much  regret  that  the  laws  of  my  country  should  come  in  contact  with 
the  laws  of  God  ;  but  whenever  they  do  I  shall  invariably  choose  the 
latter.  If  I  did  not  so  express  myself  I  should  feel  myself  unworthy 
of  the  cause  that  I  represent. 

The  Constitution  of  the  United  States  expressly  states  that  Con- 
gress shall  make  no  law  respecting  the  establishment  of  religion,  or 
prohibiting  the  free  exercise  thereof.  It  cannot  be  denied  that  mar- 
riage, when  attended  and  sanctioned  by  religious  rites  and  ceremo- 
nies, is  the  establishment  of  religion. 

The  law  of  1862  and  the  Edmunds  Bill  were  expressly  designed  to 
operate  against  marriage,  as  practised  and  believed  in  by  the  Latter- 
Day  Saints.  They  are,  therefore,  unconstitutional,  and  cannot  com- 
mand the  same  respect  that  a  constitutional  law  would.  That  is  all 
I  desire  to  say,  your  Honor. 

By  the  Court.  The  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  as  construed 
by  the  Supreme  Court  and  by  the  authors  of  that  instrument,  does 
not  protect  any  person  in  the  practice  of  polygamy.  While  all  men 
have  a  right  to  worship  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  their  own 
consciences,  and  to  entertain  any  religious  belief  that  their  con- 
science, reason,  and  judgment  dictate,  they  have  not  the  right  to 
engage  in  a  practice  which  the  American  people,  through  the  laws  of 
their  country,  declare  to  be  unlawful  and  injurious  to  society. 

There  have  been  among  barbarous  and  superstitious  people  vari- 
ous conditions  of  men  and  women,  with  respect  to  each  other  ;  and 
different  classes  of  unions  have  been  recognized.  Promiscuity,  the 
intercourse  of  the  sexes  without  any  definite  relations  ;  polyandry, 
one  wife  and  many  husbands,  or  more  than  one  husband  ;  and  potyg- 
amy,  one  husband  and  many  wives,  or  more  than  one  wife  ;  and  also 
monogamy,  one  wife  and  one  husband.  This  last  union  has  emerged 
with  civilization  from  barbarism  and  superstition,  and  it  is  the  insti- 
tution of  marriage  that  exists  throughout  the  whole  civilized  world. 
It  is  the  institution  which  that  infinite  source  that  manifests  all 
things  has  manifested  as  the  natural  and  true  union  to  exist  between 
men  and  women  in  civilized  society.  This  marriage  elevates  women 
to  an  equality  with  men,  so  far  as  their  different  organizations  will 
permit  ;  it  recognizes  the  great  principle  which  lies  at  the  foundation 
of  all  justice  and  all  equity — equality.  No  just  government  on  earth 


180  NEW    LIGHT    OX    MORMON1SM. 

can  stand  •which  permits  any  violation  of  this  great  principle  of 
equality,  upon  -which  all  just  la-ws  must  rest  at  last.  This  union  ele- 
vates -woman,  places  her  upon  the  high  plane  beside  man,  and  in  its 
light  I  believe  that  man  and  woman  will  ascend  to  the  glorious 
future,  will  climb  the  hills  of  progress,  through  all  time,  side  by  side. 

This  belief  that  polygamy  is  right  the  civilized  world  recognizes  as 
a  mere  superstition  ;  it  is  one  of  those  superstitions  which,  honestly 
believed  in  in  the  past,  have  done  infinite  injury — one  of  those  relig- 
ious superstitions  whose  pathway  has  been  lit  by  the  fagot,  and  red 
with  the  blood  of  innocent  people.  The  American  people,  through 
their  laws,  have  pronounced  polygamy  a  crime,  and  the  court  must 
execute  that  law.  In  fixing  this  punishment  the  statute  gives  the 
court  a  wide  discretion.  It  provides,  among  other  things,  that  a  per- 
son found  guilty  of  polygamy  shall  be  punished  by  a  fine  of  not  more 
than  five  hundred  dollars  and  by  imprisonment  for  a  term  of  not 
more  than  five  years  ;  and  for  the  crime  described  in  the  second 
court  upon  which  yon  were  found  guilty,  it  provides  that  a  person 
shall  be  punished  by  a  fine  of  not  more  than  three  hundred  dollars  or 
by  imprisonment  for  not  more  than  six  months,  or  by  both  said  pun- 
ishments, in  the  discretion  of  the  court.  From  these  provisions  it  is 
apparent  that  the  great  object  of  the  law  was  to  protect  the  institu- 
tion of  marriage  as  recognized  by  law,  the  marriage  of  one  woman  to 
one  man.  And  the  court,  in  fixing  the  punishment,  must  not  only 
take  into  consideration  the  consequences  of  the  sentence  to  you  and 
to  your  family,  but  to  society. 

The  great  object  of  punishment  applied  to  crimes  is  to  deter  other 
people  from  committing  like  offences,  and  protect  society  from  the 
evils  resulting  from  the  crime  ;  and  with  that  in  view  the  court  must 
fix  the  punishment,  where  it  has  the  discretion.  The  court,  how- 
ever, looks  at  the  circumstances,  and  where  the  crime  is  aggravated 
the  punishment  is  usually  greater,  and  should  be  more  severe  ;  and 
where  there  are  palliating  circumstances  the  punishment  should  be 
less.  In  your  case  there  is  one  circumstance,  probably,  that  should 
be  taken  into  consideration.  You  have  been  taught,  as  it  seems,  and 
I  presume  it  to  be  true,  by  your  ancestors,  or  by  those  from  whom 
you  received  religious  instructions,  that  polygamy  was  right  ;  and 
those  who  taught  you  are,  probably,  to  some  extent  almost  as  much 
to  blame  as  you,  although  they  could  not  be  punished,  because  they 
have  committed  no  overt  act  that  could  be  proved  ;  no  such  act  as 
they  could  be  punished  for.  That,  of  course,  should  be  taken  into 
account.  But  you  are  an  intelligent  man,  over  thirty  years  of  age, 
I  believe.  ' 


NEW   LIGHT   ON   MO  UNIONISM.  181 

Clawson.  No,  sir. 

Court.  I  am  mistaken,  then.  I  understood  some  witness  to  so 
testify.  What  is  your  age  ? 

Glawson.  Twenty-seven. 

Court.  I  was  mistaken  then.  I  probably  misunderstood  the  wit- 
ness. You  probably  were  between  twenty-four  and  twenty-five  when 
the  offence  was  committed  ? 

Clawson.  As  charged. 

Court.  As  charged  in  the  indictment. 

Clawson.  Yes,  sir. 

Court.  You  unquestionably  knew  of  the  existence  of  this  law  ? 

Clawson.  Yes,  sir. 

Tke  Court  Continued.  And  understood  it,  and  you  deliberately  vio- 
lated it.  You  violated  it  also  with  the  understanding,  as  you  say, 
that  you  had  a  right  to  do  it,  because  there  was  a  higher  law,  as  you 
claimed,  by  which  you  govern  your  conduct.  That  being  so,  it  makes 
the  case  aggravated. 

You  deliberately  violated  a  law  of  your  country,  knowing  the  con- 
sequences and  the  effects.  And  there  is  another  thing  to  be  taken 
into  consideration  in  fixing  this  punishment,  the  object  being  to 
prevent  the  crime.  As  you  state,  and,  as  I  presume  from  the  evi- 
dence in  the  case  it  is  true,  there  is  a  class  —a  large  class — of  persons 
in  this  district,  in  this  Territory,  and  probably  many  in  others,  who 
claim  that  it  is  right  to  violate  the  law.  The  object  of  the  law  is  to 
prevent  it,  and  it  is  the  duty  of  the  court  to  so  fix  the  punishment  as 
that  it  will  be  most  likely  to  prevent  other  persons  from  committing 
like  offences  against  society. 

The  institution  of  marriage  is  one  of  the  most  important  to  society 
of  any  that  exist.  When  free  love,  polygamy,  or  any  other  system 
shall  be  substituted  for  the  monogamic  marriage,  then  this  great 
social  fabric,  which  is  now  protected  by  law,  will  probably  be  crum- 
bling about  us  ;  and  chastity,  virtue,  and  decency  will  fall  with  it,  in 
my  judgment.  And  that  seems  to  be  the  judgment  of  the  American 
people  and  of  the  whole  civilized  world  ;  because,  I  believe,  polyg- 
amy is  not  lawful  in  any  civilized  government  on  the  globe.  For  the 
purpose  of  protecting  society,  therefore,  and  protecting  this  institu- 
tion, which  is  of  such  great  interest  and  importance  to  society,  the 
court  must  fix  the  punishment  so  that  it  will  be  likely  to  prevent  its 
recurrence. 

The  law  provides,  in  the  case  of  polygamy,  for  a  fine  not  to  exceed 
five  hundred  dollars,  and  for  imprisonment  not  exceeding  live  years. 
I  confess  that  I  should  have  been  inclined  to  have  fixed  this  punish- 


182  NEW    LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM. 

merit  at  less  than  I  shall,  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  you  openly 
declare  that  you  believe  it  is  right  to  violate  this  law.  I  shall  there- 
fore fix  your  punishment  in  the  case  of  polygamy  on  the  first  count 
at  a  fine  of  five  hundred  dollars,  and  imprisonment  for  the  term  of 
three  years  and  six  months,  and  on  the  last  count,  for  unlawful  co- 
habitation, I  will  fix  your  fine  at  three  hundred  dollars  and  your  im- 
prisonment at  six  months.  Judgment  will  be  entered  by  the  clerk 
accordingly.  I  wish  to  add  one  more  remark  to  the  judgment,  which 
is  that  the  imprisonment  on  the  last  count  of  the  indictment  will 
begin  at  the  termination  of  the  imprisonment  of  the  first. 

Judge  Zane  read  the  following  charge  to  the  jury  in 
the  Rudger  Clawson  case  : 

GENTLEMEN  OF  THE  JUKY  :  The  court  charges  you  that  the  laws  of 
the  United  States  of  America  in  force  in  this  Territory,  declare  that 
every  person  who  has  a  wife  living  and  marries  another  is  guilty  of 
polygamy  ;  and  that  the  first  count  of  the  indictment  upon  which 
the  defendant  stands  charged  states  that  on  the  first  day  of  August, 
1882,  he  married  Florence  Ann  Dinwoodey,  with  whom  he  is  still 
living  as  his  wife,  and  from  whom  he  has  not  been  divorced  ;  and 
that  afterward  and  on  the  1st  day  of  July,  1883,  he  married  Lydia 
Spencer  in  this,  the  Third  Judicial  District  of  the  Territory  of  Utah. 
To  this  count  the  defendant  has  pleaded  not  guilty.  The  court  fur- 
ther charges  you  that  the  law  presumes  the  defendant  innocent  until 
he  is  proven  guilty  beyond  a  reasonable  doubt.  It  is  not  necessary 
that  the  evidence  should  show  that  the  marriages  charged  actually 
occurred  on  the  days  therein  named.  There  is  no  dispute  in  the  evi- 
dence with  respect  to  the  marriage  of  the  defendant  to  Florence  Ann 
Dinwoodey,  and  the  real  contention  is  as  to  the  charge  that  he  mar- 
ried Lydia  Spencer,  and  that  such  marriage  was  in  this  judicial  dis- 
trict. To  prove  this  marriage,  admissions  of  the  defendant  and  cir- 
cumstances are  relied  upon.  The  court  further  charges  you  that 
admissions  and  declarations  of  the  defendant  hastily  made  are  enti- 
tled to  but  little  weight ;  but  when  deliberately  made  and  precisely 
identified,  they  should  receive  great  weight.  You  should  not  look  at 
the  circumstances  in  evidence  separately,  but  should  consider  them 
with  respect  to  the  fact  to  be  proven,  and  with  respect  to  each  other, 
and  should  endeavor  to  discern  their  connections,  their  coincidences, 
and  their  disagreements,  if  such  they  may  present,  and  so  consider- 
ing them  together,  give  them  such  weight  as  in  your  best  judgment 
they  may  be  entitled  to.  If  you  can  reconcile  the  evidence  before 


NEW   LIGHT    ON    MORMONISM.  183 

you  upon  any  reasonable  hypothesis  consistent  with  the  innocence 
of  the  defendant,  it  is  your  duty  to  do  so. 

"With  respect  to  the  second  count  of  the  indictment,  the  court  in- 
structs you  to  find  the  defendant  not  guilty  on  that  count.  The 
court  further  charges  you  that  a  reasonable  doubt  is  one  based  upon 
reason,  and  such  doubt  must  be  reasonable  in  view  of  all  the  evi- 
dence. And  if,  after  an  impartial  and  careful  consideration  of  all  the 
evidence  in  this  case,  you  can  candidly  say  that  you  are  not  satisfied 
of  the  existence  of  any  fact  essential  to  the  defendant's  guilt  you 
have  a  reasonable  doubt,  and  in  that  case  you  should  find  the  defend- 
ant not  guilty  upon  the  first  count  of  the  indictment  also.  But  if 
after  a  candid  and  careful  consideration  of  all  the  evidence  you  have 
such  an  abiding  conviction  of  the  defendant's  guilt  that  you  wotild 
be  willing  to  act  upon  it  in  the  more  weighty  matters  relating  to  your 
own  affairs,  you  have  no  reasonable  doubt.  And  if  you  should  be  so 
satisfied  of  the  defendant's  guilt  yoii  should  find  him  guilty. 

Gentlemen,  you  are  the  sole  judges  of  the  credibility  of  the  wit- 
nesses, of  the  weight  of  the  evidence,  and  of  the  facts.  You  should 
diligently  investigate  and  carefully  consider  all  the  evidence  before 
you  together,  and  give  it  such  weight  as  you  may  believe  it  entitled 
to  when  so  considered.  But  if  you  shall  believe  that  any  witness  or 
witnesses  have  wilfully  sworn  falsely  to  any  fact  material  in  this 
case,  you  are  at  liberty  to  wholly  disregard  the  testimony  of  such 
witness  or  witnesses,  except  so  far  as  they  may  be  corroborated  by 
other  trustworthy  evidence. 

The  court  charges  you  with  respect  to  the  form  of  your  verdict, 
that  if  you  find  the  defendant  guilty  of  polygamy,  as  charged  in  the 
first  count  of  the  indictment,  the  form  of  your  verdict  will  be,  "  The 
jury  find  the  defendant  guilty  on  the  first  count  of  the  indictment." 

If  you  find  the  defendant  not  guilty  on  the  first  count  of  the  in- 
dictment, the  form  of  your  verdict  will  be,  "  The  jury  find  the  de- 
fendant not  guilty." 

THE    FOKMAL    SENTENCE. 

The  following  sentence  was  then  entered  of  record  by 
the  clerk  of  the  court : 

United  States  v.  Eudger  Clawson.     Polygamy  and  unlawful  cohabi- 
tation. 
This  being  the  time  fixed  by  the  court  for  passing  its  sentence 

herein,  and  the  defendant,  wifch  his  counsel,  Bennett,  Harkness  & 


184  NEW    LIGHT    OX    MORMOXISM. 

Kirkpatrick,  being  present  and  having  filed  no  motion  for  a  new 
trial,  and  declining  to  move  for  a  new  trial,  and  the  defendant 
being  requested  to  state  if  there  be  any  reason  why  the  sentence  of 
the  court  should  not  be  passed  upon  him,  and  no  cause  being  shown 
for  stay  of  sentence,  it  is  by  the  court  ordered,  adjudged,  and  de- 
creed that  you,  Budger  Clawson,  on  the  first  count  of  the  indictment 
and  the  conviction  had  for  polygamy,  do  forfeit  and  pay  to  the 
United  States  the  sum  of  five  hundred  dollars,  and  that  jo\i  be  con- 
fined and  imprisoned  in  the  Utah  Penitentiary  upon  said  first  count 
for  the  term  of  three  years  and  six  months. 

And  it  is  further  adjudged  and  decreed  that,  pursuant  to  the  con- 
viction had  under  the  second  count  of  the  indictment  against  you, 
the  defendant,  Kudger  Clawson,  for  the  crime  of  unlawful  cohabita- 
tion, that  you  do  forfeit  and  pay  to  the  said  United  States  the  further 
sum  of  three  hundred  dollars  ;  and  further,  that  you,  the  said  defend- 
ant, be  confined  and  imprisoned  in  the  Utah  Penitentiary  the  fur- 
ther time  of  six  months. 

And  it  is  further  adjudged  and  decreed  that  you,  the  said  Kudger 
Clawson,  be  detained  and  confined,  by  the  officer  in  charge  of  said 
penitentiary,  until  the  above  imposed  fines  be  paid  and  satisfied. 

With  sncli  evidence  concerning  the  Clawson  trial  it 
would  suggest  that  the  beginning  of  the  end  of  Mormon 
hierarchy  had  arrived  ;  but  as  evidence  to  the  contrary  it 
is  stated,  on  reliable  authority,  that  the  Mormons  in 
Idaho  at  a  recent  election  were  ordered  by  George  Q. 
Cannon  to  vote  for  a  certain  candidate  for  Congress. 
Mr.  Cannon  did  not  leave  his  office,  but  his  order  was 
faithfully  carried  out.  The  Mormons  in  Idaho  voted 
as  a  unit  for  his  man. 

The  converts  to  Mormonism  throughout  the  world  at 
the  present  time  number  about  200,000.  Of  the  150,000 
people  in  Utah  are  120,000  Mormons,  and  of  these 
12,000  are  polygamists.  A  distinguished  son  of  Mormon 
parentage,  but  who  is  not  himself  a  believer,  makes  the 
statement  that  a  Mormon's  practice  of  polygamy  depends 
on  his  ability  to  support  plurality  of  wives.  Long  ago 
the  hive  swarmed,  and  to-day  hold  the  balance  of  power 


NEW   LIGHT   0^    MORMOXIS1T.  185 

in  Idaho  and  Arizona,  and  are  rapidly  peopling  Wash- 
ington, Montana,  and  Wyoming  Territories,  as  well  as 
Colorado  and  Kew  Mexico.  While  this  people  profess 
to  observe  the  forms  of  a  republican  government,  the 
despotism  of  its  leaders  is  as  absolute  in  its  control  at  the 
present  time  as  it  has  ever  been,  and  is  greater  than  any 
other  despotism  on  earth.  That  such  an  institution  has 
been  able  to  maintain  itself  in  the  very  heart  of  a  free 
country,  and  to  steadily  increase  in  power  and  wealth,  is 
one  of  the  problems  of  the  age.  Polygamy  is  considered 
by  many  persons  to  be  the  most  objectionable  feature  of 
Mormonism,  forgetting  that  its  creed  is  a  deadly  menace 
to  free  government,  and  that  it  preaches  a  celestial  king- 
dom of  God,  and  the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth,  the 
latter  meaning  that  the  whole  earth  is  to  be  subjugated 
to  Mormon  rule.  The  only  allegiance  given  by  the 
Saints  is  to  their  church  and  chiefs.  Between  their 
creed  and  the  Government  of  the  United  States  the  hitter 
is  nothing.  The  Mormonism  of  to-day  has  been  de- 
scribed as  "  a  combination  of  a  limited  number  of  knaves 
pretending  to  have  a  sanction  for  their  rule  from  the 
Most  High  to  exercise  boundless  dominion  over  a  multi- 
tude of  dupes,  who  submit  to  their  despotism  as  to  the 
commands  of  God.  Suppose,  says  the  same  author,  that 
a  set  of  low,  shrewd,  sleek,  uneducated  Yankees,  escaped 
from  the  jails  of  the  region  in  which  they  were  born,  and 
dismissed  with  scorn  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  Western 
States  to  which  they  may  have  emigrated,  should  gratify 
their  peculiar  tastes  and  inclinations  by  instituting  a  new 
religion  which  should  justify  their  crimes,  and  that  they 
should  entice  a  great  number  of  unchristianized  and  un- 
civilized fools  and  fanatics  to  submit  to  their  dictation  ; 
suppose  all  these  seemingly  improbable  facts,  and  you  have 
Mormonism  in  its  central  idea.  It  can  have  no  develop- 


180  XEW    LIGHT    OX    MORMOXISM. 

ment  which  is  not  essentially  brutish,  vulgarity  being  at  the 
very  heart  of  its  animal  creed  and  constitution,  however 
much  these  may  have  been  varnished  over  by  superficial 
tourists,  who  merely  observe  them  from  the  outside." 
There  are  more  polygamists  now  than  ever,  and  the 
obnoxious  doctrines  are  more  openly  and  defiantly 
preached.  But  one  conviction  has  been  had  for  polyg- 
amy under  the  statutes  in  twenty  years.  In  a  word,  the 
Mormons  of  to-day  are  cursing  the  Stars  and  Stripes. 
They  are  obedient  to  John  Taylor,  as  they  were  to 
Joseph  Smith  ;  they  break  the  laws  and  defy  the  govern- 
ment, accepting  polygamy  as  a  revelation  from  a  just 
God.  It  is  known  that  the  people  of  this  faith  are 
ready  for  any  anticipated  emergency.  Most  of  them,  if 
not  all,  keep  fire-arms  in  their  dwellings,  in  the  use  of 
which  they  are  trained  experts.  Some  of  the  observers 
of  the  situation  in  Utah  predict  a  civil  war  without  our 
government  defends  its  authority  and  punishes  treason  as 
it  deserves,  while  others  affirm  that  the  Mormon  leaders 
are  too  sagacious  to  allow  their  affairs  to  lead  to  such  an 
issue. 

The  converts  to  Mormonism  are  either  cranks  or  per- 
sons of  slight  education,  who  listen  to  the  stories  of  "  a 
land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey,"  to  which  they  must 
flee  for  salvation,  with  delight.  The  missionaries  are 
not,  many  of  them,  educated  men,  but  are  familiar  with 
the  Bible  from  end  to  end.  Brigham  Young  said  that 
he  did  not  require  college  graduates,  but  could  take  a 
youth  who  had  cut  wood  and  killed  bears  among  the  hills 
and  send  him  on  a  mission,  and  he  would  come  back  a 
man.  !No  one  can  refuse  a  mission,  although  it  has  fre- 
quently been  a  place  of  exile  for  the  too  inquiring,  too 
ambitious,  and  too  knowing.  Dissipated  young  men 
have  been  sent  off,  and  returned  quite  reformed.  The 


NEW    LIGHT    ON"    MORMONISM.  187 

indifferent  and  doubting  have  also  been  sent,  and  came 
home  extreme  fanatics  in  their  belief.  The  Mormon 
missionary  starts  out  without  purse  or  scrip.  He  is 
forced  to  be  on  his  good  behavior,  as  he  is  a  professional 
beggar,  and  breaks  bread  with  the  stranger.  He  thus 
gains  an  admittance  into  households,  and  works  upon 
the  susceptibilities  of  women,  wherein  lies  a  more  as- 
sured success  than  if  he  lodged  in  hotels.  But  without 
visible  means  they  live  well,  and  dress  well,  and  travel 
luxuriously.  They  have  never  been  known  to  starve. 
Of  the  three  hundred  of  them  now  out,  one  hundred  are 
preaching  in  the  Southern  States,  where  in  recent  years 
they  have  made  many  converts.  The  other  two  hundred 
Mormon  missionaries  are  scattering  the  seeds  of  their 
horrible  doctrines  over  the  broad  world.  A  convert  in 
his  first  year's  residence  must  give  one  tenth  of  his  time, 
one  tenth  of  what  he  raises,  and  one  tenth  of  his  posses- 
sions on  his  arrival,  even  if  he  have  no  money.  This 
payment  of  tithes  is  an  onerous  burden  to  the  Mormons, 
who,  in  spite  of  all  reports,  are  taxed  to  an  exasperating 
degree.  They  cannot  evade  this  tithing,  yet  the  roads 
and  bridges  are  not  in  good  order,  and  there  is  not  a 
hospital  in  Utah.  The  only  decent  school  building  in 
the  territory  is  the  University  of  Deseret.  The  Gentiles 
are  taxed  to  support  Mormon  schools,  which  their  chil- 
dren do  not  attend,  where  the  hymns  and  prayers  are 
Mormon,  as  well  as  the  teachers.  Brigham  Young  de- 
nounced colleges,  yet  sent  one  of  his  sons  to  Cornell  Uni- 
versity, one  to  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  another 
to  West  Point.  The  latter,  when  asked  if  his  oath  of 
allegiance  to  the  government  brought  him  in  conflict  with 
the  commands  of  John  Taylor,  which  he  would  obey, 
without  hesitation  answered  he  would  obey  John  Taylor. 
Salt  Lake  City  has  a  population  of  from  twenty  to 


183  XEW    LIGHT   ON    MORMOXISM. 

twenty-five  thousand.  It  is  situated  on  the  east  bank 
of  the  Jordan,  a  short  river  which  connects  Lake 
Utah  with  the  great  Salt  Lake,  eleven  miles  distant.  The 
location  is  at  once  beautiful  and  picturesque,  with  the 
grand  snow-capped  Wahsatch  Mountains  on  the  east,  the 
valley  of  the  Jordan  on  the  south  and  west,  while  in  the 
distance  are  other  ranges  of  mountains.  It  is  the  metro- 
polis of  Utah,  "  the  chief  city  of  Zion,"  "  the  habitation 
of  the  Saints,"  "  the  grand  centre  of  the  kingdom  of 
God,"  "the  city  of  prediction,  beautiful  for  situation, 
and  the  joy  of  the  whole  earth."  The  streets  are  one 
hundred  and  thirty-seven  feet  wide,  and  the  blocks  forty 
rods  square.  Water  is  conveyed  along  the  streets  for 
irrigation  and  other  purposes,  and  the  shade  and  fruit 
trees  render  it  conspicuous  from  the  country  at  large. 
The  site  covers  nine  thousand  acres,  not  more  than  one 
fourth  of  which  is  occupied.  Fort  Douglas  is  situated  on 
one  of  the  heights  overlooking  the  city,  where  several 
regiments  of  United  States  troops  are  stationed,  under 
command  of  Federal  officers.  The  climate  is  clear  and 
dry,  rain  seldom  falls,  and  the  air  is  delightfully  cool  and 
invigorating.  Its  railway  facilities  with  the  East  give 
the  residents  the  comforts  and  luxuries  of  modern  civili- 
zation, and  yet  it  is  unlike  all  other  cities,  with  its  half- 
finished  temple,  which  has  already  cost  two  millions  of 
dollars,  its  Tabernacle  for  summer  worship— there  is  no 
method  of  heating  it — its  Endowment  House,  Tithing 
Office,  and  its  other  places  for  Mormon  services  and  resi- 
dence. One  hundred  thousand  dollars  is  annually  col- 
lected from  tithes.  The  city  is  lighted  by  gas,  and  has 
six  miles  of  street  railway.  It  is  a  very  gay  city,  as  the 
Mormons  are  not  only  fond  of  public  amusements,  but  of 
all  manner  of  social  festivities  and  dancing.  Their  public 
balls  sometimes  last  from  twelve  to  fourteen  hours.  The 


LIGHT   OST    MORMOXISM.  189 

women  are  given  to  fine  dress  and  the  fripperies  of  fash- 
ion, and  are  as  fond  of  the  elegant  accessories  which  make 
life  pleasant  as  their  Gentile  sisters.  Their  advance  in 
such  indulgences  has  been  remarkable  since  Brigham 
harangued  against  the  follies  of  women. 

There  is  a  Territorial  Library,  a  City  and  a  Masonic 
Library  ;  a  museum  of  the  productions  and  curiosities  of 
the  region ;  three  daily  and  weekly  newspapers,  a  weekly 
in  the  Scandinavian  tongue,  and  some  minor  periodicals. 
The  City  Hall  cost  $70,000.  The  Tabernacle  has  a 
costly  organ,  which  is  the  second  largest  in  the  United 
States,  and  it  will  seat  eight  thousand  persons.*  There 
are  Mason  and  Odd  Fellows'  halls,  theatres,  several  ho- 
tels, Episcopalian,  Methodist,  Presbyterian,  and  Catholic 
churches,  and  a  Jewish  synagogue.  The  immense  co- 
operative store  is  a  Mormon  institution. 

The  Endowment  House  has  its  peculiar  rites.  Here 
the  Mormons  are  "sealed  for  time  and  eternity"  in 
"  celestial  marriage,"  and  here  one  day  in  the  week 
there  is  an  all-day  performance,  when  "  each  Mormon  is 
invested  with  the  Adamic  costume  (a  garment  made  all 
in  one  piece,  high-necked  and  with  long  sleeves),  arid 
receives  grips,  tokens,  and  new  names.  If  living  and 
dying  he  wears  this  garment,  and  does  not  forget  the 
grips  and  the  name,  he  is  sure  of  heaven  whatever  may 
befall  him.  A  sacred  drama  forms  a  part  of  the  ceremo- 
nies. The  man  who  plays  the  part  of  the  devil  therein 
is  also  janitor  of  the  Tabernacle,  passes  the  bread  and 


*  Oscar  Wilde,  in  describing  the  Tabernacle,  remarked  that  at  a  dis- 
tance it  resembles  a  copper  kettle  turned  upside  down.  The  huge 
domes  rest  on  columns  between  which  are  doors,  in  its  whole  circum- 
ference, that  in  warm  weather  can  all  be  opened.  The  building  is 
only  used  in  summer,  and  is  sometimes  called  "  The  Bowerie"  for  that 
reason. 


190  NEW    LIGHT   ON   MOBMONISM. 

wine  at  the  celebration  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  and  leads 
an  orchestra  in  the  church  theatre."  The  Endowment 
House  rites  are  a  kind  of  bastard  Masonry  instituted  by 
Joseph  Smith  at  Isauvoo.  There  is  the  Aaronie  grip, 
4  and  the  grip  of  Melchisedec.  There  is  the  oath  of 
vengeance  against  the  United  States  Government  for  the 
death  of  Joseph  Smith  and  his  brother  Hiram  (or  Hy- 
rum,  as  it  is  usually  spelled),  and  the  oath  of  implicit 
obedience  to  the  priesthood.  It  is  impossible  with  these 
oaths  that  loyalty  to  the  government  should  exist.  A 
remarkable  resemblance  has  been  pointed  out  between 
the  ceremonies  in  the  Eleusinia,  a  festival  among  the 
Cretans,  and  the  mysteries  of  the  Endowment  House,  as 
they  are  represented  by  some  of  the  historians  of  Mor- 
monism. 

Ecclesiastically  the  city  is  divided  into  twenty  wards, 
over  which  is  a  bishop  and  two  councillors.  These  are 
men  who  "  do  as  they  are  told,  and  see  that  the  Saints  pay 
their  tithing  regularly."  In  each  ward  the  bishop  holds 
a  meeting  every  Sunday  night.  Under  this  divisional 
supervision  the  city,  if  twenty  times  larger,  would  be 
under  the  same  complete  control.  At  home  and  abroad 
a  Mormon  is  never  free  from  the  vigilant  watch  of 
church  officers.  A  Presbyterian  clergyman  of  Salt  Lake 
City  has  recently  asserted  before  an  Eastern  audience 
that  it  is  this  priestly  despotism  which  is  the  central  and 
great  evil  of  the  Mormon  system.  Polygamy — bad  as  it 
is  in  his  estimation — is  sweet  in  comparison  with  this  con- 
stant arid  deadly  tyranny.  All  understand  it.  None 
can  escape  from  it  save  through  apostasy  or  death.  The 
Tabernacle,  according  to  Stenhouse,  should  be  visited  on 
a  Sunday  afternoon.  The  "  spirit"  is  hardly  warmed 
up  in  the  morning  services.  The  organ  is  better  played, 


NEW   LIGHT   ON   MOliMOXISM.  191 

the  choir  sing  better.  The  choir  occupy  seats  around 
the  great  organ,  directly  in  front  of  which  sits  the  presi- 
dent and  his  two  councillors.  In  front  of  them  is  a  long 
bench  for  the  twelve  apostles,  and  before  these  are  the 
bishops  and  other  officers.  Several  barrels  of  water  are 
placed  in  front  of  the  assembled  church  dignitaries,  and 
after  it  has  been  blessed  is  handed  about  in  tin  cans  to 
every  person  in  the  congregation.  .  A  sip  of  the  water 
and  a  morsel  of  bread  constitutes  the  ceremony  of  par- 
taking the  sacrament,  according  to  Mormon  rites. 
Hymns  are  sung,  a  prayer  is  made  by  some  bishop, 
apostle,  or  elder,  which  is  followed  by  a  sermon  either 
by  the  president  or  an  apostle,  after  which  the  congrega- 
tion sings  a  doxology  and  is  dismissed  with  a  brief  bless- 
ing. The  sermons  are  talks  on  practical  matters,  and 
the  Saints  are  expected  to  attend  to  these  "  droppings  of 
the  sanctuary."  The  architectural  design  of  the  Taber- 
nacle is  hideous.  From  east  to  west  it  is  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet,  and  from  north  to  south  one  hundred  and 
twenty.  There  is  not  a  column  to  obstruct  the  vision. 
Its  acoustic  properties  are  remarkably  good.  Christian 
churches,  schools,  and  associations  have  been  firmly 
founded  in  Zion.  For  many  years  there  was  no  place 
where  anything  but  Mormonism  could  be  heard,  and  the 
stranger  was  entirely  cut  off  from  all  religious  communion. 
But  all  this  is  past ;  and  while  "  the  Gentile  and  Mormon 
elements  of  the  community  can  no  more  mix  than  oil  and 
water,"  each  have  their  places  of  worship.  From  the  be- 
ginning of  Mormonism  the  Saints  have  held  conferences, 
great  yearly  or  half-yearly  meetings,  lasting  several  days. 
They  are  usually  held  in  Salt  Lake  City,  and  are  seasons 
of  especial  enjoyment  to  the  pilgrims  who  journey  from 
afar  and  near  to  these  festivals  of  the  elect.  They  have 


192  NEW   LIGHT    OX    MORMONISM. 

a  certain  resemblance  to  the  camp-meetings  of  the  Meth- 
odists, but  were  probably  instituted  in  imitation  of  the  old 
Jewish  custom  of  assembling  the  Israelites  in  the  chief  city 
from  the  remotest  parts  of  Palestine,  at  stated  intervals, 
for  worship.  Mr.  P.  W.  Penrose,  a  well-known  Mormon 
leader,  has  recently  denied  that  "  blood  atonement  "  *  has 
ever  been  practised  among  the  Saints,  but  adds,  "  in  the 
good  time  coming  it  will  be."  A  more  disinterested  ob- 
server, after  a  residence  of  several  months  in  Salt  Lake 
City  last  year,  writes  :  "As  to  the  '  blood  atonement ' 
which  Mormons  generally  deny,  you  may  be  sure  it  is  still 
practised,"  The  shedding  of  innocent  blood  has  been 
one  of  the  mysterious  horrors  of  Mormonism  from  its 
inauguration,  and  there  is  no  more  reason  to  suppose  it 
has  been  suppressed  than  its  other  abominable  practices, 
which  are  falsely  denied.  It  is  only  more  adroitly  man- 
aged under  Taylor's  rule  than  it  was  under  the  dominion 
of  Brigham  Young. 

The  boasted  freedom  of  the  ballot  in  Utah  is  a  farce, 
as  every  ballot  is  numbered,  and  the  number  is  placed 
against  the  name  of  the  voter  ;  and  in  this  way  those 
who  vote  contrary  to  the  published  ticket  are  known 
to  the  priesthood.  In  other  parts  of  the  Union  the 
numbering  of  the  tickets  might  be  of  no  moment ; 
but  in  Utah,  where  the  slightest  opposition  is  branded 
as  rebellion,  and  is  treated  accordingly,  it  is  of  the 
last  importance,  as  it  practically  precludes  all  free 
voting.  The  present  generation  of  Mormons  is  in  many 
respects  in  violent  contrast  to  "  the  very  prophets  of  in- 


*  The  Blood  Atonement  of  the  Mormons  is  the  severing  of  the  wind- 
pipe—a gnsh  across  the  throat — to  let  the  soul  out  of  the  body,  and 
thus  save  it  from  destruction. 


NEW    LIGHT   OK    MOIIMOXISM.  193 

dustry"  who  preceded  it.  By  all  accounts  tlie  young 
men  are  idle  and  immoral.  Tire  relaxing  climate  and 
the  influence  of  their  surroundings  has  something  to 

O  d> 

do  with  their  condition.  They  are  advised  to  stay  at 
home.  An  elder  said  in  the  Tabernacle  last  summer  : 
"  We  do  not  want  our  young  men  to  leave  Utah  ;  if 
they  have  talent  of  any  kind,  let  them  cultivate  it  here." 
As  there  are  no  factories  in  Utah,  and  comparatively  few 
openings  for  young  men,  many  of  them  are  obliged  to 
work  on  the  railways  and  in  the  mines  of  Utah  for  a 
livelihood.  Some  of  the  wealthier  Mormons  send  their 
sons  and  daughters  to  Eastern  schools  for  educational 
advantages  not  to  be  obtained  in  Zion,  in  spite  of  the 
protest  against  it. 

One  of  the  most  influential  of  the  youthful  Mormons 
is  John  Young,  one  of  the  sons  of  Brigham,  who  is  a 
polygamist  of  the  worst  kind,  having  married,  it  is  said, 
and  deserted  several  women.  He  is  described  as  being 
handsome,  rich,  and  well  educated. 

Mormon  children  are  baptized  at  the  age  of  eight  years. 
They  are  then  members  of  the  church.  The  baptism 
for  the  dead  is  one  of  the  most  cherished  of  their  ordi- 
nances, and  in  this  way  they  can  save  their  ancestors 
from  everlasting  punishment,  and  bring  their  souls  within 
Zion.  This  benevolence  is  extended  beyond  the  confines 
of  relationship,  and  is  given  to  the  heroes  and  heroines 
of  history.  "  In  fact,"  says  a  facetious  recorder  of 
events  in  Salt  Lake  City,  "  no  one  is  safe  from  the 
clutches  of  Mormonism  after  death.  You  may  be  made 
a  Mormon  without  desiring  it  for  all  eternity."  A 
wealthy  Mormon  in  the  summer  of  1884,  during  a  visit 
in  Boston,  employed  a  young  woman  to  look  up  his 
genealogy.  In  this  way  he  learned  the  names  of  some 


104:  NEW    LIGHT   OX    MOIIMOXISM. 

two  hundred  of  his  Gentile  ancestors,  for  all  of  whom  he 
had  the  rites  of  baptism  performed.* 

If  Salt  Lake  Valley  were  to  become  the  home  of  a 
really  free  people,  it  would  become  one  of  the  glories  of 
the  American  Union.  It  is  about  thirty  miles  long. 
The  view  of  it  from  Salt  Lake  City  is  enchanting.  It  is 
a  picture,  of  farm,  lake,  and  mountains  clothed  in  pre- 
vailing tints  of  gray,  with  patches  of  verdure  that  is  sel- 
dom seen  in  any  country.  The  atmosphere  is  very  clear. 

The  Territory  of  Utah  lies  mostly  in  the  great  Wah- 
satch  Basin,  between  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  the  Sierra 
Nevada.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Idaho  and 
"Wyoming  territories,  east  by  Colorado,  south  by  Ari- 
zona, and  west  by  Nevada.  It  is  three  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  long  and  three  hundred  miles  in  width,  and  has 
eighty-four  thousand  square  miles.  The  Wahsatch 
range  of  mountains,  which  forms  the  eastern  wall  of  the 
basin,  traverses  the  territory  from  north  to  south,  and 
with  the  Unitah  Mountains  at  the  north-east,  and  the 
Iron  Mountains  in  the  south-east,  the  rivers  have  no  out- 
let, and  fall  into  the  great  Salt  Lake  and  other  lakes  of 
the  basin.  All  these  rivers  have  cut  their  way  through 

*  An  apostate  Mormon,  in  speaking  of  the  Baptism  for  the  Dead, 
•which  is  a  vital  doctrine  of  the  Latter-Day  Saints,  told  the  following 
story  : 

"An  old  man,  long  a  convert  to  Mormonism,  residing  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  Utah,  last  summer  made  a  pilgrimage  to  Georgetown,  thirty 
miles  distant,  where  the  Saints  were  in  conference,  for  the  purpose  of 
saving  nearly  one  hundred  of  his  ancestors  from  everlasting  destruc- 
tion by  being  baptized  for  them.  He  made  the  journey  in  an  ox  cart 
vith  his  two  sons.  The  baptism  was  by  immersion  in  a  river,  and 
the  old  man  was  "dipped"  as  many  times  as  he  could  stand  the 
operation,  each  dip  representing  an  entrance  into  the  Mormon  para- 
dise for  some  one  of  the  otherwise  lost  hundred  of  his  forefathers. 
Then  his  sons  in  txirn  were  baptized  until  the  object  of  their  visit  was 
accomplished." 


NEW   LIGHT    OX   MORHONISM.  195 

the  easily  corroded  rocks,  and  form  canons  varying  in 
depth  from  two  to  five  thousand  feet ;  and  after  reach- 
ing a  lower  plain  spread  out  into  broad  streams.  The 
eastern  section  of  Utah,  although  from  six  to  seven 
thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  is  fertile,  and 
largely  productive.  Western  Utah  is  also  elevated,  the 
summits  of  the  Wahsatch  rising  from  the  plain  from 
forty-two  hundred  to  six  thousand  feet  in  height,  at- 
taining a  further  elevation  from  the  valley  of  six  thou- 
sand to  seven  thousand  feet  in  height.  Saline  and 
fresh  lakes  are  numerous.  Great  Salt  Lake  is  one 
hundred  miles  in  length,  fifty  in  width,  and  sixty  feet 
deep,  holding  in  solution  twenty  per  cent  of  salt.  The 
river  Jordan  connects  it  with  Lake  Utah,  which  is 
twenty-four  miles  long  by  twelve  in  width.  Much 
of  the  scenery  of  Utah  is  magnificent  and  of  the  most 
varied  description.  Echo  and  Weber  canons  are  a 
perpetual  series  of  surprises,  as  well  as  Parley's  Park, 
Ogden,  and  Cotton  wood  cafions,  which  are  all  sub- 
limely beautiful.  Landscape  painters  consider  Ameri- 
can Fork  Canon  the  finest  cafion  in  our  country.  The 
north-western  portion  of  the  territory,  the  elevated  pla- 
teau, is  a  barren  alkaline  desert,  yielding  but  little  beside 
the  sage  bush,  but  under  irrigation  is  made  to  yield  large 
crops.  The  Mormons  are  not  confined  to  Utah  alone,  but 
possess  some  of  the  best  portions  of  Arizona,  Wyoming, 
New  Mexico,  Idaho,  and  Colorado.  The  land  of  these 
territories  is  worthless  without  irrigation,  and  the  Mor- 
mon Church  has  entire  control  of  the  irrigating  canals. 
In  this  way  they  can  secure  themselves  from  Gentile  in- 
trusion, and  they  can  subdue  rebellious  spirits  among 
themselves  ;  for  the  moment  a  man  rebels  the  water  is 
shut  off  from  his  land,  and  he  is  literally  starved  into 
submission,  or  obliged  to  leave  the  territory. 


196  NEW   LIGHT   OK   MOKMONISM. 

The  government  surveys  commenced  in  1855,  and  a 
land  office  was  opened  in  Salt  Lake  City  in  1868.  In 
the  year  18T3  Stenhouse  made  the  statement  that  sur- 
veys had  extended  over  4,016, 825.acres,  of  which  92,637 
acres  were  embraced  in  vacated  Indian  reservations. 
These  surveys  included  Colorado.  From  that  date  declar- 
atory statements  under  the  Pre-emption  Act  of  Septem- 
ber 4th,  1841,  had  been  filed  for  400,000  acres.  Of  that 
extent  of  land  68,315  acres  had  been  paid  for  with  cash, 
mainly  at  the  minimum  price  of  $1.25  per  acre.  In  ad- 
dition, 20,480  acres  had  been  located  with  military 
bounty  land  warrants,  and  23,200  acres  with  agricultural 
scrip.  Homestead  entries  covering  167,250  acres  have 
been  made  under  the  act  of  May  29th,  1862.  Estimat- 
ing that  there  are  2,000,000  acres,  or  the  one  twenty- 
seventh  part  of  the  territory  susceptible  of  cultivation, 
there  yet  remain  1,500,000  acres  unappropriated  for 
future  settlement.  The  emigrants  to  Utah  and  the  ter- 
ritories contiguous  to  it  are  given  small  farms  of  160 
acres  government  lands,  which  they  are  entitled  to  after 
becoming  citizens  of  the  United  States.  The  Mormon 
settlements  extend  to  the  full  limits  of  the  territory  in 
every  direction,  following  the  natural  sweep  of  the  val- 
leys at  the  base  of  the  mountains,  from  north  to  south. 
It  was  Brigham's  policy  to  occupy  the  best  lands  as 
quickly  as  possible.  For  this  and  other  ulterior  par- 
poses  he  was  gracious  to  his  dusky  neighbors — the  Utes, 
and  other  tribes  of  Indians. 

Until  the  completion  of  the  Union  and  Pacific  Rail- 
road the  vast  mineral  wealth  of  Utah  was  untouched,  the 
Mormon  leaders  being  utterly  opposed  to  exploiting  the 
mines,  knowing  well  that  their  development  would  bring 
in  a  non-Mormon  and  anti-Polygamous  population. 
Since  the  building  of  the  Union  Pacific  and  the  extension 


NEW    LIGHT    ON   MORMONISM.  197 

branches,  north  and  south,  Utah  has  produced  fifty  mill- 
ions of  dollars  in  silver  and  lead,  and  its  other  mineral 
wealth,  except  coal  and  salt,  is  yet  undeveloped. 

With  such  natural  resources,  what  might  not  Utah  be- 
come if  Mormonism  were  "stamped  out  of  it"  by  our 
government,  to  which,  it  is  plain,  it  has  become  a  problem 
difficult  to  solve.  "  Nothing  can  change  the  old  Mor- 
mons. They  are  a  hardy  race,  indifferent  to  hardships 
and  privation  ;  but  despite  the  blinding  influence  of 
this  system,  under  which,  the  hearts  of  so  many  women 
have  been  broken  and  are  breaking,  there  is  a  restless- 
ness among  the  young  which  is  growing  with  an  increas- 
ing sense  of  shame  and  wrong.  The  thing  to  do  is  to 
strike  at  the  animalism  which  underlies  the  whole  sys- 
tem, while  carefully  guarding  all  personal  property  and 
rights  of  those  who  have  sinned  through  ignorance,  to 
make  further  plural  marriages  impossible,  and  never  re- 
lax until  polygamy  and  the  rule  of  the  Mormon  Church 
in  temporal  affairs  is  forever  abandoned.  If  it  is  post- 
poned fifteen  years,  it  will  take  a  civil  war  to  overcome 
this  open  enemy  of  republican  government."* 

If  Mormonism  is  allowed  to  go  on  for  a  few  years 
longer,  its  rulers  will  dictate  the  elections  in  all  the 
regions  between  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  the  Pacific 
Ocean  except  California  and  Oregon — a  region  as  great  as 
all  the  United  States,  east  of  the  Mississippi  River.  The 
renewing  influences  of  active  emigration  is  still  going 
on.  Within  eight  months  of  last  year  three  thousand 
Mormon  proselytes  arrived  in  New  York.  To  these 
converts  from  the  peasant  classes  of  Great  Britain,  Nor- 
way, and  Sweden,  the  most  flattering  promises  have  been 
made  of  land  and  wealth.  The  Mormon  leaders  want 


*  C.  C,  Godwin,  North  American  Review,  1881. 


198  XEW    LIGHT    OX    MORMOXISIL 

the  strong  young  men  to  cultivate  the  land  and  to  work 
in  the  mines — increase  the  property  which  will  accrue  to 
the  church  from  the  tithing  system.  One  is  struck  with 
the  dull  expression  on  the  faces  of  these  peasants  from 
the  Old  World.  More  women  than  men  emigrate  from 
foreign  parts  to  Utah.  The  fate  of  these  women  who 
come  thus  to  a  Christian  country  can  easily  be  imagined. 

A  special  despatch  to  the  Boston  Herald  from  Salt 
Lake  City,  dated  January  10th,  1885,  states  that  some 
"  high  Mormons  have  recently  returned  from  Mexico. 
They  had  reached  the  stronghold  of  the  untamable 
Yayni  savages,  and  made  a  conditional  treaty  with  them. 
Within  a  few  days  John  Taylor,  Counsellor  Smith,  Bishop 
Sharp,  and  others  have  left  Zion,  and  are  known  to  be 
en  route  to  Mexico  ;  and  it  is  believed  they  have  gone 
to  the  capital  to  treat  with  the  Mexican  Government 
for  lands  and  a  charter  like  the  Nauvoo  charter.  It  is 
thought  that  the  plan  is  to  make  a  rendezvous  for  Mor- 
mons liable  to  persecution  under  the  Edmunds  law,  and 
also  to  form  a  nucleus  for  a  future  empire  in  their  favor. 
The  Yaynis  are  terrible  Indians  who  have  never  been 
subdued,  the  people  of  the  northern  Mexican  States 
fearing  them  exceedingly." 

The  prediction  that  the  Saints  would  eventually  make 
Mexico  their  final  resting-place  is  not  new.  Time  alone 
will  show  the  destiny  of  these  people. 

In  closing  this  brief  history  of  Mormonism,  we  may 
state  what  the  most  recent  students  of  its  methods 
have  learned  in  a  few  words,  as  follows  :  Mormonism  was 
evolved  from  the  crafty  brain  of  Sidney  Rigdon,  who 
found  a  fitting  and  willing  assistant  in  Joseph  Smith. 
Between  them  they  formulated  the  only  religion  that 
has  been  originated  in  America,  from  a  romance  written 
by  a  clergyman  born  in  New  England. 


NEW    LIGHT   OX    MOEMONISM.  199 

It  does  not  seem  probable  that  the  Spaulding  manu- 
script is  still  in  existence.  There  are  old  men  arid  women 
living  who  may  know  its  fate.  They  may  carry  the  bur- 
den of  their  sworn  secret  regarding  it  to  the  grave  ;  but 
whether  the  manuscript  which  was  so  shamefully  stolen 
was  or  was  not  destroyed,  or  whether  it  was  ever  returned 
to  its  rightful  owners,  the  great  scheme  of  the  "  Latter- 
Day  Saints,"  with  its  perfidies  and  crimes,  cannot  easily 
be  expurgated  from  our  national  history. 

It  may  be  likened  to  some  baleful  plant  that  has  been 
allowed  to  spring  up  and  grow  into  a  fruition  of  poison- 
ous influences,  and  which  cannot  be  exterminated  save  by 
one  process — a  general  and  thorough  uprooting. 

It  has  been  the  darling  ambition  of  the  Mormons  since 
their  settlement  in  Utah  to  have  the  Territory  admitted 
into  the  Union  of  States  ;  but  to-day  they  seem  as  far 
from  the  realization  of  their  anticipations  in  this  respect 
as  they  were  three  decades  ago,  when  they  called  their 
new  home  "  Deseret." 


CHAPTEE  XIII. 

The  "  doctrines"  of  Mormonism— Analysis  of  the  Mormon  faith — 
Hierarchical  organization — The  ' '  Book  of  Mormon"  —Church  polity 
— The  faith  of  the  Latter-Day  Saints — Their  modes  of  worship. 

DOCTRINE. 

THE  Mormons  are  almost  incredibly  materialistic  in 
their  doctrines.  Their  idea  of  the  Godhead  is  taken 
from  Buddhistic  principles.  While  they  profess  to 
believe  in  the  Trinity,  they  say  that  God  was  once  a  man, 
who  has  advanced  in  intelligence  and  power  ;  that  now 
He  may  be  called  perfect  ;  that  He  has  still  the  form 
and  figure  of  a  man  ;  He  has  even  legs,  from  His  ap- 
pearance to  Abraham,  though  He  has  the  advantage 
over  His  creature  that  He  can  move  up  and  down  the 
earth  without  moving  them. 

Christ  is  the  offspring  of  the  "  material  "  union,  on  the 
plains  of  Palestine,  of  God  and  the  Yirgin  Mary — the 
latter  being  duly  married  after  betrothal  by  the  Angel 
Gabriel.  Yet  He  is  believed  to  have  had  a  previous  ex- 
istence, and  to  have  made  the  universe  out  of  "  unformed 
chaotic  matter  as  old  as  God,"  and  His  worship  is  en- 
joined as  Lord  of  all.  The  Paraclete  is  also  material. 
There  is,  however,  an  older  Trinity,  that  of  Elohim, 
Jehovah,  and  Michael,  which  is  Adam.  Adam  is  de- 
clared to  be  the  "  god  "  of  Jesus  Christ,  Jesus  Christ 
the  "  god  "  of  Joseph  Smith,  and  Joseph  Smith  the 
"god"  of  this  generation.  Any  Mormon  by  faith, 


NEW  LIGHT  03-  JIORMONISM:.  201 

obedience,  and  holiness  may  rise  into  a  Deity,  and  peo- 
pling, and  ruling  a  world  forever. 

The  second  article  of  Mormon  faith  affirms  that  men 
will  be  punished  fo'r  their  own  sins,  and  not  for  Adam's 
transgressions. 

The  third  article  states  that  through  the  atonement  of 
Christ  all  mankind  can  be  saved  by  obedience  to  the 
laws  and  ordinances  of  the  (Mormon)  gospel. 

The  fourth  article  affirms  the  ordinances  to  be  :  1st, 
faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  2d,  repentance  ;  3d, 
baptism  (which  takes  place  at  eight  years  of  age  ;  they 
also  baptize  for  the  dead)  ;  4:th,  imposition  of  hands  by 
the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit ;  5th,  the  Lord's  Supper  ad- 
ministered kneeling  (in  which  water  is  used  instead  of 

o    \ 

wine  in  the  sacrament,  which  is  taken  every  week). 

The  sixth  article  is,  that  the  same  organization  exists 
now  that  existed  in  the  Primitive  church. 

The  seventh,  that  miraculous  gifts — discerning  of 
spirits,  prophecy,  revelations,  visions,  healing,  tongues, 
etc. — have  not  ceased. 

The  eighth,  that  the  word  of  God  is  recorded  in  the 
"  Book  of  Mormon,"  the  Bible,  and  all  other  good  books. 

The  ninth  article  expresses  the  belief  in  all  God  has 
revealed,  is  revealing,  or  will  reveal. 

The  tenth  article  affirms  the  literal  gathering  of  Israel, 
the  restoration  of  the  ten  tribes  (the  American  Indians), 
the  establishment  of  the  new  Zion  on  the  Western  Con- 
tinent, the  millennial  reign  of  Christ  on  earth,  and  the 
transformation  of  earth  into  Paradise. 

The  eleventh  article  maintains  the  literal  resurrection 
of  the  body  to  flesh  and  bones,  but  not  blood,  "  the  prin- 
ciple of  mortality  "  (according  to  Smith). 

The  twelfth  asserts  the  absolute  liberty  of  private 
judgment  in  matters  of  religion. 


203  KEW    LIGHT   ON    MORMOXISil. 

The  thirteenth  declares  it  to  be  the  duty  of  the  Saints 
to  be  "  subject  to  the  powers  that  be,"  whether  mo- 
narchical or  republican. 

The  fourteenth  is,  "We  believe  in  being  honest,  chaste, 
temperate,  benevolent,  virtuous,  and  upright  ;  in  doing 
good  to  all  men,  and  that  an  idle  or  lazy  person  cannot 
be  a  Christian,  or  have  salvation."  * 

ANALYSIS    OF    MORMONISM. 

The  "  Book  of  Mormon  "  is  a  plagiarism  of  "  Manu- 
script Found,"  written  by  Solomon  Spaulding.  The 
Mormon  religion  is  a  parody  on  the  old  Hebrew  faith, 
in  common  with  Methodism,  Millerism,  Catholicism,  Mo- 
hammedanism, spiced  with  doctrines  of  the  Baptist,  Pres- 
byterian, and  Episcopal  Churches,  as  well  as  with  the 
peculiar  religious  ideas  of  the  Quakers  and  Shakers. 
The  constant  effort  to  imitate  Hebraic  customs  and  laws 
all  through  Mormonism  is  wearisome,  nothing  being 
formulated  without  some  allusion  to  Biblical  history. 

Its  originators  and  leaders  have,  many  of  them,  been 
men  of  great  natural  intelligence,  force,  and  persuasive 
eloquence.  It  is  eminently  a  proselyting  religion,  and 
its  greatest  numbers  of  converts  have  come  from  the 
old  world. 

The  commonly  accepted  idea  of  Mormonism  is,  that  it 
is  an  institution  based  upon  polygamy  ;  but  it  was  years 
after  Mormonism  was  established  before  this  system  was 
more  than  whispered  among  the  "  Latter-Day  Saints  ;" 
and  if  this  enormous  blot  were  wiped  out  from  their  his- 


*  The  articles  of  faith  have  been  reduced  to  thirteen  in  number  in 
the  more  recent  history  of  Mormonism,  but  which  of  the  number 
has  been  expunged  the  writer  cannot  learn. 


NEW    LIGHT    OX    MOHMONISM.  203 

tory  and  their  faith,  the  essential  attributes  of  Mormon- 
ism  would  remain.  As  an  organization,  Mormonism  is 
complete.  It  reaches  every  condition  and  position  in  life, 
and  controls  every  action  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave, 
being  a  combination  of  military  rule  and  Jesuitical  pen- 
etration and  perseverance. 

The  rapid  increase  of  Mormonism  is  due,  in  part,  to  its 
main  recognition  of  the  truths  of  the  Bible,  its  congeni- 
ality to  every  shade  of  erratic  religious  character  ;  to  the 
lofty  pretensions  of  its  priesthood,  and  the  knowledge 
that,  without  previous  study,  a  blacksmith  may  become  a 
bishop  or  an  apostle. 

For  the  superstitious  it  has  miracles,  ecstasies,  visions, 
and  revelations,  astonishing  legends  respecting  the  early 
inhabitants  of  America  and  the  wonderful  story  of 
Christ's  coming  to  this  country  after  His  resurrection. 

For  the  lovers  of  prophecy  there  is  promised  the  ]STew 
Jerusalem,  an  actual  reign  of  the  Saints,  and  an  equality 
with  the  Redeemer. 

Another  attraction  is  its  congeniality  with  the  wild 
views  of  religion  as  produced  by  the  preaching  of  certain 
schismatical  bodies,  and  its  holding  itself  up  as  the  only 
sanctuary  to  which  men  may  flee  for  the  solution  of  their 
doubts  and  the  hope  of  an  eternal  harmony  ;  with  the 
fact  that  there  is  no  strict  standard  of  morals  in  connec- 
tion with  Mormonism,  and  its  being  an  open  asylum  for 
the  refuse  of  all  other  persuasions — the  excommunicated, 
the  despised,  or  endangered. 

The  gross  see  charms  in  its  sensual  paradise,  and  listen 
eagerly  to  the  announcement  that  a  conversation  with 
their  spiritual  ruler  or  a  journey  on  a  mission,  while 
facing  a  frowning  world,  will  immediately  clear  them 
from  all  their  iniquities. 

Sidney  Rigdon  said  :  "  '  The  Book  of  Mormon'  is  to 


204  NEW    LIGHT   OX   MORMOXISJI. 

*  govern  the  Millennial  Church  ;  "  but  whatever  may  have 
been  its  uses  to  the  "  Saints"  in  the  beginning  of  their 
career,  it  has  had  little  to  do  with  their  practices  for 
many  years,  save  as  a  text-book. 

The  great  success  of  the  Mormon  missionaries,  both 
here  and  in  foreign  countries,  has  been  gained  through 
their  promises  to  the  ignorant,  the  superstitious,  and  the 
poor  of  a  home  and  certain  support. 

Labor  has  always  been  dignified  among  the  Mormons, 
every  man,  woman,  and  child,  from  the  highest  to  the 
lowest,  having  his  or  her  task  to  perform. 

Natural  quickness  of  mind  and  shrewdness  have  ever 
been  valued  by  them,  but  culture  has  never  been  indis- 
pensable for  promotion.  Faith  and  blind  obedience  have 
been  requisite,  but  education,  although  prized,  has  not 
been  material  to  the  ambitious  Mormon. 

As  a  people,  the  Mormons  are  chargeable  with  the 
gravest  crimes  ;  but  these  have  been  perpetrated  by  the 
few,  while  many  of  them  have  been  and  are  devoted  to 
what  they  believe  to  be  the  truth  ;  contrasts  are  drawn  by 
their  preachers  between  "  the  unworldly  lives  of  the 
Saints  and  the  evil  practices  of  the  Gentiles,"  and  per- 
tinent examples  are  given  of  aberrations  from  rectitude 
of  men  intrusted  with  the  making  of  our  laws,  or  those 
who  minister  at  the  altars  of  divine  worship,  until  they 
regard  themselves  as  clothed  with  the  resplendent  robes 
of  righteousness. 

In  ten  years  from  the  origin  of  Mormonism  its  devo- 
tees numbered  thousands,  and  Joseph  Smith  announced 
that  it  was  to  be  the  religious  faith  of  the  Western  Con- 
tinent. To-day  Mormonism  numbers  its  hundreds  of 
thousands,  its  organizations  extend  over  every  part  of  the 
globe,  and  the  most  careless  observer  of  the  times  must 
realize  that  this  institution  has  become  one  of  the  gravest 


NEW    LIGHT   ON    MORMONISM.  205 

and  most  difficult  religious,  social,  and  political  problems 
of  the  day. 

The  Mormons  have  made  four  "  Hegiras  "  since  they 
left  Palmyra.  There  are  indications  that  at  no  distant  day 
they  must  enter  upon  a  fifth  pilgrimage  ;  the  question  is, 
what  portion  of  the  earth  will  next  be  selected  as  their 
"Zion"? 

HIERARCHICAL    ORGANIZATION. 

Mormonism  is  a  pure  theocracy  ;  its  priesthood,  who 
rule  in  matters  temporal  and  ecclesiastical,  are  divided 
into  various  orders.  The  highest  is  the  First  Presi- 
dency, elected  by  the  whole  body  of  the  church,  and  pos- 
sessing supreme  authority.  The  second  office  in  point  of 
dignity  is  that  of  Patriarch,  whose  chief  duty  is  to  ad- 
minister blessings. 

The  third  in  order  is  The  Twelve,  who  ordain  all  other 
officers,  priests,  teachers,  and  deacons  ;  they  baptize, 
administer  the  sacraments,  and  take  the  lead  in  meetings. 

Next  comes  the  Seventies,  who  are  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  and  -are  the  great  prop- 
agandists, missionaries,  and  preachers.  The  fifth  order 
is  that  of  High  Priests,  whose  duty  lies  in  officiating  in 
all  the  offices  of  the  church,  when  no  higher  authority  is 
present. 

After  these  come  the  Bishops,  who  are  overseers  of 
the  church  in  secular  matters,  the  support  of  "  literary 
concerns,"  house-visiting,  and  the  settlement  of  private 
grievances. 

The  seventh  in  order  are  the  Elders,  who  conduct 
meetings,  and  have  a  general  surveillance  over  the  priests. 
The  lowest  orders  are  Teachers  and  Deacons,  who  sim- 
ply assist  the  other  orders. 

The  whole  priesthood  is  divided  into  two  classes — the 


200  NEW    LIGHT    ON    MORMONISM. 

Melchisedec  and  Aaronic.  To  the  first  belong  the  offices 
of  apostle,  seventy,  patriarch,  high-priest,  and  elder ; 
to  the  second  those  of  bishop,  priest,  teacher,  and 
deacon.  The  latter  can  only  be  held  by  "  literal  "  de- 
scendants of  Aaron,  who  are  pointed  out  by  special  rev- 
elation. 

THE    ' '  BOOK    OF    MORMON. ' ' 

The  "Book  of  Mormon"  is  a  collection  of  sixteen 
separate  or  distinct  books,  professing  to  be  written  at  dif- 
ferent periods  by  different  prophets.  Its  style  is  in  imi- 
tation of  the  Bible,  incorporating  three  hundred  passages 
from  it  without  acknowledgment,  but  often  quoted  by 
the  Mormons  as  specimens  of  their  book,  and  Hebrew, 
Greek,  Biblical,  and  Latin  names  are  introduced. 

The  first  book  professes  to  be  written  by  Kephi,  a 
Jew,  the  son  of  Lehi,  who  dwelt  at  Jerusalem  in  the 
days  of  King  Jedekiah,  600  B.C.  In  obedience  to  a 
command  of  the  Lord,  who  appeared  to  him  in  a  dream, 
he  went  into  the  wilderness  of  Arabia  and  dwelt  there  a 
long  time  with  his  family.  At  length,  under  divine  in- 
struction, he,  with  his  family,  set  out  in  search  of  a 
promised  land,  and  after  travelling  nearly  eastward  for 
eight  years  they  reached  the  ocean.  Here  they  built  a 
ship,  and,  guided  by  a  compass,  sailed  to  America. 

The  "  Book  of  Mormon  "  itself  gives  no  indication  of 
the  part  of  the  Continent  on  which  they  landed ;  but 
through  subsequent  Mormon  revelations,  it  is  declared  to 
have  been  Chili. 

Of  this  company  who  arrived  in  America  were  Lehi 
and  his  wife  and  four  sons — Taman,  Lemuel,  Sam  and 
Nephi,  and  their  four  wives  ;  and  Toran,  a  servant,  and 
his  wife — in  all  eight  adult  men  and  eight  women.  Two 
infant  sons  were  born  to  Lehi  on  the  journey  through 


NEW   LIGHT   ON    MORMONISM.  207 

the  wilderness — Jacob  and  Joseph.  In  America  they 
found  beasts  of  every  kind  in  the  forests,  including  the 
cow,  the  ox,  the  ass,  the  horse,  and  the  goat.  Lehi  died 
immediately  after  his  arrival  in  America,  and  discussions 
speedily  arose  between  Nephi  and  his  elder  brothers, 
Laman  and  Lemuel  ;  and  separating  from  them  Nephi 
moved  into  the  wilderness  accompanied  by  Sam  and 
Toran  and  their  families,  the  boys,  Jacob  and  Joseph, 
and  such  of  the  women  and  children  as  agreed  with  them. 
Laman  and  Lemuel  and  their  families,  as  a  punishment 
for  rebellion  against  Nephi,  wThom  the  Lord  had  ap- 
pointed to  be  their  ruler,  were  cursed  by  the  Lord,  and 
they  and  all  their  posterity  were  condemned  to  have  dark 
skins  and  to  become  an  idle  people,  full  of  mischief  and 
subtlety,  which  sought  out  the  wilderness  for  beasts  of 
prey.  This  is  the  origin  of  the  American  Indians,  whom 
the  Mormons  profess  to  believe  are  of  the  Jewish  race. 
Nepal  died  fifty  years  after  his  arrival  in  America,  and 
his  people  continued  to  be  called  "Nephites  and  to  be 
governed  by  kings  bearing  the  name  of  Nephi  for  many 
generations. 

The  record  of  their  history  was  continued  on  golden 
plates  by  Jacob,  the  brother  of  Nephi,  Enos,  the  son  of 
Jacob,  Jarom,  the  son  of  Enos,  Arum,  the  son  of  Joram, 
and  finally  by  Mormon,  whose  name  is  given  to  a  single 
book  as  well  as  to  a  whole  volume,  and  who,  many  hun- 
dred years  after  Christ,  transmitted  to  his  son  Moroni 
the  plates  containing  the  writings  of  the  authors  men- 
tioned, as  well  as  those  of  Mosiah,  Teniff,  Alma,  Hela- 
mon,  Nephi  the  second,  and  Nephi  the  third. 

These  books  are  narratives  of  transactions  in  North  and 
South  America,  chiefly  of  wars  between  the  Nephites  and 
Lamanites,  or  red  men,  and  of  revolutions  in  the  land 
Tarahenila,  a  country  near  the  Isthmus  of  Darien,  where 


208  NEW   LIGHT   ON    MORMOJHSM. 

there  was  a  great  city.  A  supernatural  light,  which  lasted 
three  days  and  three  nights,  informed  the  inhabitants  of 
America  of  the  birth  of  Christ,  and  later  a  terrible  earth- 
quake announced  the  crucifixion  of  Christ  at  Jerusalem  ; 
and  three  days  after  the  Lord  Himself  appeared,  descend- 
ing out  of  heaven  into  the  chief  city  of  the  Nephites,  in 
the  sight  of  the  people,  to  whom  He  exhibited  His 
wounded  side  and  the  prints  of  the  nails  in  His  hands 
and  feet. 

He  remained  with  them  forty  days,  teaching  them  the 
principles  of  Christianity,  and  founding  that  faith.  These 
Christians  of  the  new  world,  unlike  those  of  the  old 
world,  immediately  adopted  the  Christian  era  for  their 
chronological  computations,  and  in  agreement  with  the 
record  in  the  four  following  centuries,  the  wars  between 
them  and  the  heathen  Lamanites  continued  to  rage  with 
great  destruction  to  the  Christians,  whose  populous  and 
civilized  cities,  extending  throughout  North  America, 
were  gradually  captured  and  destroyed. 

In  the  year  384  the  Christians  made  a  final  stand  at 
Cummorah  in  western  New  York,  where  in  a  great 
battle  two  hundred  and  thirty  thousand  of  them  were 
slain  ;  Moroni,  one  of  the  survivors,  after  wandering  as  a 
fugitive  until  A.D.  420,  sealed  up  the  golden  plates  on 
which  all  these  events  and  circumstances  were  written, 
and  hid  them  in  the  hill,  where  they  were  found  by 
Joseph  Smith. 

One  of  the  books  of  the  collection  gives  an  account  of 
an  earlier  settlement  of  America  than  that  of  Lehi,  by  a 
colony  from  the  Tower  of  Babel,  soon  after  the  deluge, 
which  was  led  by  Jared,  and  which  in  time  became  a 
great  nation,  but  which  was  destroyed  for  their  sins  be- 
fore the  arrival  of  the  colony  from  Jerusalem. 

The  "Book  of  Mormon"  appeared  first  in  Palmyra, 


NEW   LIGHT   ON    HOKMONISM.  209 

in  1830,  in  England  in  1841,  in  Paris  in  1852.  Versions 
have  been  printed  in  German,  Italian,  Danish,  Welsh, 
and  Hawaiian.  There  is  a  copy  in  the  British  Museum,  in 
the  Astor  Library  in  New  York,  and  other  noted  public 
libraries  throughout  the  United  States. 

CHURCH    POLITY. 

The  acknowledged  president  of  the  church  of  the  Lat- 
ter-Day Saints  holds  the  keys  of  the  kingdom — "  that  is, 
heaven."  Without  his  permission  none  can  be  saved. 
He  is  an  acknowledged  "  revelator,"  and  is  acknowledged 
by  the  church  to  be  the  supreme  pontiff  of  the  world, 
with  both  temporal  and  spiritual  jurisdiction,  and  as  such 
is  entitled  to  the  implicit  personal  and  unquestioned 
obedience  of  all  Mormons. 

The  next  order  of  the  church  is  the  Twelve  Apostles, 
usually  called  the  "Twelve."  The  members  of  this 
order  are  subject  to  do  duty  as  missionaries. 

The  following  in  order,  in  point  of  dignity,  is  the  presi- 
dent of  the  Seventies,  and  each  seventy  has  a  presi- 
dent. These  presidents  form  an  administrative  council 
over  the  subject  of  missions  and  preaching  and  all  mat- 
ters connected  with  the  propagandism  of  the  church, 
subject  to  the  approval  of  the  head  of  the  church. 

There  is  another  body,  called  a  Quorum  of  Seventy, 
having  in  theory  seventy  members.  They  form  the 
bone  and  muscle  of  missionary  labor,  and  have  no  refer- 
ence to  rank  in  the  church  as  apostle  or  a  High  Priest, 
as  either  may  be  a  member  of  a  quorum.  These  are  the 
outside  working  bees  of  the  central  hive,  and  go  into  all 
the  world  to  preach  the  gospel  without  purse  or  scrip, 
returning  frequently  loaded  with  money,  and  escorting 
many  converts. 


210  NEW   LIGHT   ON    MORMONISM. 

Each  Mormon  preserves  its  secret  archives,  a  complete 
record  of  the  genealogy  of  each  of  its  members,  as  also 
of  the  official  acts  of  each.  This  organization  has  a  cer- 
tain resemblance  to  the  celebrated  order  of  Jesuits.  The 
first  in  rank  in  this  order  is  the  high-priest,  second  the 
apostles,  third  the  elders,  and  last  and  lowest  the  simple 
priest. 

All  true  male  Mormons  are  priests  ;  it  is  necessary  for 
their  salvation.  Women  are  sealed  (married)  to  some 
priest,  either  for  time  "  or  eternity  ;"  in  the  latter  case 
they  are  not  required  to  reside  together,  the  ceremony 
being  a  saving  grace  merely,  they  having  no  souls  of 
their  own,  and  amounting  to  nothing  of  themselves  alone. 

The  Mormons' use  of  the  terms  "exaltation"  and 
r£  salvation  "  are  thus  defined  :  "  A  male  Mormon,  out- 
side of  the  priesthood,  may  be  saved  by  favor  of  the 
President,  as  also  may  a  Gentile  to  be  used  as  a  servant." 
"  Exaltation"  means  having  a  kingdom  in  the  next 
world,  emoluments,  and  power,  with  numbers  of  wives 
and  servants  in  his  possession  in  this  belonging  to  him 
in  the  other. 

For  a  woman  to  marry  an  apostle  or  high-priest  is  a 
great  honor,  while  to  be  the  wife  of  the  Prophet  or  First 
Presidency  is  the  highest  possible  dignity  to  which  a 
woman  can  aspire.  Coercion  is  seldom  used  to  effect 
marriages  ;  but  a  woman  must  marry  some  one,  and  ' '  the 
man  of  her  choice  "  is  not  at  liberty  to  refuse  her,  the 
women  as  frequently  making  the  first  proposition  of  this 
kind,  in  agreement  with  Mormon  etiquette. 

A  Mormon  with  but  one  wife  would  hardly  be  admit- 
ted to  "good  society,"  and  few  men  have  the  moral 
courage  to  appear  in  public  with  less  than  two.  Men  of 
"position"  appear  on  state  occasions  with  numerous 
wives — the  more  the  better.  All  Gentiles  are  to  be  the 


NEW    LIGHT   ON    MORMONISM.  211 

servants  of  the  "  Saints"  in  the  world  to  come  and  after 
the  second  coming  of  Christ,  which  is  expected  soon. 

The  city  of  Salt  Lake  is  divided  into  twenty-four 
wards,  each  of  which  has  a  governing  officer  called  a 
bishop,  who  is  also  an  informer  to  the  high  powers. 
They  hear  and  determine  upon  civil  or  religious  com- 
plaints, and  inquire  into  the  temporal  and  spiritual  con- 
dition of  each  member  of  their  ward  in  domiciliary  visits 
each  week  ;  and  all  persons  found  to  be  disaffected  as  to 
word  or  doctrine  are  reported  to  the  First  President. 

All  "  Gentiles"  are  watched  and  reported  of  in  the 
same  manner.  The  bishops  also  collect  the  tithing. 
The  intermediate  tribunal  between  the  bishops  and  First 
President  is  the  High  Council,  composed  of  fifteen  men 
chosen  among  the  high-priests,  twelve  of  whom  act  as 
jurors,  who  decide  the  case  in  hand  by  vote,  the  remain- 
ing three  acting  as  judges,  passing  sentence,  fixing  dam- 
ages, costs,  etc.  An  appeal  can  be  made  from  this 
council  to  the  First  President ;  but  from  him  there  is  no 
appeal. 

Each  bishop  has  assistant  teachers,  who  catechise  the 
children  and  people,  and  report  all  heresies.  The  differ- 
ent orders  of  the  priesthood,  and  the  quorum  of  the 
Seventies,  are  not  elective,  but  permanent  orders  of  the 
church  ;  but  all  the  other  officers  are  elective,  from  the 
First  President  down  to  the  teachers,  twice  a  year — in 
April  and  in  October.  These  elections  are  made  by  the 
whole  body  of  the  people,  and  are  called  "  conferences," 
during  which  anybody  is  at  liberty  to  prefer  charges 
against  any  officer,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest.  There 
are  other  organized  bodies  within  the  Mormon  Church 
polity,  which  are  of  a  secret  character,  such  as  the  band 
of  Danites  and  the  Endowment  Rooms. 

The  highest  test  of  faith  as  a  body  is  the  placing  of 


212  NEW   LIGHT   ON    MORMONISM. 

the  entire  church  property  in  the  hands   of   the   first 
officers. 

The  cheerful  payment  of  the  "  tithing  "  is  regarded 
as  a  test  of  orthodoxy,  and  consists  in  the  giving  by 
every  male  member  of  every  tenth  day  of  his  time  in 
labor  upon  the  public  works  (or  the  pay  of  a  substitute 
for  the  same)  and  a  tenth  of  his  income. 

THE    FAITH    OF    THE    LATTER- DAY    SAINTS. 

We  believe  in  God,  the  eternal  Father,  and  His  Son, 
Jesus  Christ,  and  in  the  Holy  Ghost. 

We  believe  that  men  will  be  punished  for  their  own 
sins,  and  not  for  Adam's  transgressions. 

We  believe  that,  through  the  atonement  of  Christ,  all 
mankind  may  be  saved  by  obedience  to  the  laws  and 
ordinances  of  the  gospel. 

We  believe  that  these  ordinances  are  :  1st,  faith  in  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  2d,  repentance  ;  3d,  baptism  by  the 
remission  of  sins  ;  4th,  laying  on  of  hands  by  the  gift  of 
the  Holy  Spirit ;  5th,  the  Lord's  Supper. 

We  believe  that  men  must  be  called  of  God  by  inspira- 
tion and  by  laying  on  of  hands  from  those  who  are  duly 
commissioned  to  preach  the  Gospel  and  administer  the 
ordinances  thereof. 

We  believe  in  the  same  organization  that  existed  in 
the  Primitive  church — viz.,  apostles,  prophets,  pastors, 
teachers,  evangelists,  etc. 

We  believe  in  the  powers  and  gifts  of  the  everlast- 
ing gospel — viz.,  the  gift  of  faith,  discerning  of  spirits, 
prophecy,  revelation,  vision,  healing,  and  the  interpreta- 
tion of  tongues,  wisdom,  charity,  fatherly  love,  etc. 

WQ  believe  the  Word  of  God  recorded  in  the  "  Book 
of  Mormon,"  and  in  all  other  good  books. 


NEW   LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM.  213 

We  believe  all  that  God  has  revealed,  all  that  He  does 
now  reveal,  and  we  believe  that  He  will  reveal  many  more 
great  and  important  things  pertaining  to  the  kingdom 
of  God  and  Messiah's  second  coming. 

We  believe  in  the  literal  gathering  of  Israel  and  in  the 
restoration  of  the  ten  tribes  ;  that  Zion  will  be  established 
on  the  Western  Continent  ;  that  Christ  will  reign  per- 
sonally on  the  earth  a  thousand  years,  and  that  the  earth 
will  be  renewed  and  receive  its  paradisaical  glory. 

We  believe  in  the  literal  resurrection  of  the  body,  and 
that  the  rest  of  the  dead  live  not  again  until  the  thousand 
years  are  expired. 

We  claim  the  privilege  of  worshiping  Almighty  God 
according  to  the  dictates  of  our  conscience,  unmolested, 
and  allow  all  men  the  same  privilege,  let  them  worship 
how  and  where  they  may. 

We  believe  in  being  subject  to  queens,  presidents, 
rulers,  and  magistrates  ;  in  obeying,  honoring,  and  sus- 
taining the  law. 

We  believe  in  being  honest,  true,  temperate,  benevo- 
lent, virtuous,  and  upright,  and  in  doing  good  to  all  men  ; 
indeed,  we  may  say  that  we  follow  the  admonition  of 
Paul,  we  "  believe  all  things."  Everything  lowly,  vir- 
tuous, praiseworthy,  and  of  good  report  we  seek  after, 
looking  forward  "  to  the  recompense  of  reward."  But 
an  idle  or  lazy  person  cannot  be  a  Christian,  neither  have 
salvation.  He  is  a  drone,  and  destined  to  be  stung  to 
death  and  tumbled  out  of  the  hive. 


TIIEIE    MODE    OF    WORSHIP. 

Their  mode  of  conducting  worship  is  to  assemble  at  a 
particular  hour,  and  the  senior  priest  then  indicates  order 
by  asking  a  blessing  on  the  congregation  and  exercises, 


214  NEW   LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM. 

when  a  hymn  from  their  own  collection  is  sung,  prayer 
made  extempore,  and  another  hymn  sung,  followed  by  a 
sermon  from  some  one  previously  appointed  to  preach, 
which  is  usually  continued  by  exhortations  and  remarks 
from  those  who  feel  moved  to  speak. 

Then  notices  of  the  arrangement  for  tithe,  labor  for 
the  ensuing  week,  and  information  on  all  secular  matters 
interesting  to  them  in  a  church  capacity  are  read  by  the 
clerk  of  the  council,  and  the  congregation  is  dismissed 
by  benediction.  "While  the  congregation  is  assembling 
and  departing  from  the  house,  it  is  usual  to  have  marches, 
waltzes,  anthems,  and  the  most  brilliant  music  performed 
by  a  good  band,  to  drive  away  all  sombre  feeling  and  to 
prepare  the  mind  for  exciting  and  eloquent  preaching. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Josephites — Epitome  of  the  faith  and  doctrines  of  the  reorgan- 
ized Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-Day  Saints — David  Whitmer 
— The  debate  at  Kirtland,  Ohio,  in  1884,  concerning  the  "  Book 
of  Mormon  "  —  The  revelation  on  celestial  marriage,  given  to 
Joseph  Smith  in  1843. 

THE  branch  of  Mormons  calling  themselves  "  Joseph- 
ites" and  "  Latter-Day  Saints  of  the  Reorganized  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ"  number  twenty  thousand  at  the  present 
time.  Their  spiritual  leader  is  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.  He 
is  the  son  of  Joseph  Smith,  the  first  Mormon  prophet, 
and  Emma,  "  the  elect."  Until  within  two  years  he  has 
resided  at  Piano,  111.,  but  has  removed  to  Laomi,  Decatur 
Co.,  Iowa,  where  he  edits  two  journals  in  the  inter- 
ests of  his  followers,  called  respectively  Ziorfs  Hope 
and  Saints'  Herald.  He  is  a  man  of  ability,  is  well  edu- 
cated, and  a  law-abiding  citizen,  as  the  Josephites  are 
generally  considered  to  be  in  their  residence  in  several 
States  of  the  Union,  principally  in  Iowa,  Missouri,  and 
Illinois,  but  scattered  throughout  New  England  and  the 
Middle  States.  When  Brigham  Young  led  the  great 
body  of  Mormons  to  Utah,  a  few  remained  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Nauvoo,  and  others,  and  in  greater  numbers, 
in  Iowa.  These  were  disaffected  spirits,  who  would  not 
yield  to  the  rule  of  Brigham,  and  who  naturally  clustered 
about  the  young  Joseph  as  the  successor  to  the  Prophet. 
The  distinction  between  the  Utah  Mormons  and  the 
Josephites  is,  that  the  latter  profess  to  be  bitterly  op- 
posed to  polygamy.  In  other  particulars  their  creed 


216  NEW   LIGHT   ON   MORMONISM. 

bears  a  remarkable  resemblance  to  that  of  the  Mormons, 
although  the  Josephites  contend  that  the  Utah  Mormons 
have  departed  from  the  original  faith,  and  no  longer  live 
in  agreement  to  its  doctrines  ;  that  they  are  treasonable  to 
the  government,  full  of  wiles  and  treachery,  and  a  stain  and 
blot  on  the  history  of  our  country.  Brigham  Young  was 
the  very  consummation  of  evil,  in  their  estimation,  and 
his  followers  in  office  not  a  whit  better.  There  is,  in  short, 
a  deadly  enmity  between  the  Saints  of  Zion  and  the  Jo- 
sephites ;  yet  both  profess  to  believe  the  "  Book  of  Mor- 
mon "  divine,  and  that  Joseph  was  "  called  of  God  to  do 
the  work,  however  he  may  have  been  led  away  in  his  latter 
years."  This  "  led  away  "  is  a  convenient  expression  to 
cover  a  multitude  of  sins  in  the  Prophet's  career  toward 
its  close.  Joseph  was  fond  of  Emma,  but  his  affections 
wandered  to  younger  and  fairer  saints  during  the  resi- 
dence of  the  Mormons  in  Ohio,  and  he  there  began  to 
talk  of  "celestial  marriage,"  to  the  surprise,  and,  it  is 
affirmed,  "  horror"  of  some  of  the  brethren.  His  "  rev- 
elation "  on  this  subject,  he  said,  was  given  to  him  at 
Nauvoo,  July  12th,  1843.  The  Prophet's  sons  and  his 
legal  wife,  Emma,  have  declared  since  his  death  that 
polygamy  is  a  stain  put  upon  his  memory  by  Brigham 
Young  and  his  followers. 

Some  attempts  have  been  made  (according  to  the  writ- 
ten observations  of  several  chroniclers  of  Mormonism)  to 
heal  the  breach  between  the  Utah  Saints  and  the  Joseph- 
ites, which  have  only  ended  in  a  more  open  and  active 
enmity  on  the  part  of  either.  Elder  Smith  attends  the 
conferences,  which  are  held  quarterly  or  annually  at 
some  one  of  the  appointed  colonies  of  Josephites,  where 
his  preaching  inspires  his  adherents,  and  makes  new  con- 
verts of  those  who  gather  through  curiosity  to  see  the 
show.  The  next  great  conference  will  be  at  Indepen- 


NEW   LIGHT   ON    MORMONISM.  217 

dence,  Mo.,  beginning  the  6th  of  April,  1885.  Inde- 
pendence is  closely  connected  with  the  early  history  of 
Mormonism.  Josephite  conferences  have  been  held  in 
Boston  (where  the  Saints  have  had  a  place  of  worship  for 
twelve  or  fourteen  years),  sometimes  at  Providence, 
Khode  Island,  and  at  Dennisport,  Cape  Cod,  where  they 
have  a  flourishing  colony. 

David  Whitmer,  one  of  the  original  "witnesses,"  is 
still  living  at  Richmond,  Mo.  He  was  asked  not 
long  ago  if  his  testimony  was  the  same  now  as  it  was 
originally  published,  regarding  "the  plates  and  the 
angel" —  alluding  to  the  golden  plates  and  the  angel 
Moroni,  at  the  time  "  the  word"  was  given  to  Joseph. 
"  He  rose  to  his  feet,  stretched  out  his  hands,  and  said  : 
'  These  handled  the  plates,  these  eyes  saw  the  angel, 
these  ears  heard  the  voice— I  know  it  was  of  God,'  ' 
wrote  one  of  the  inquirers. 

Whitmer  has  what  he  calls  the  original  translation  of 
the  golden  plates  in  manuscript.  The  Josephites  state 
that  the  Utah  Mormons  sent  a  delegation,  headed  by 
Orley  Pratt,  to  purchase  it ;  and  that  when  Whitmer  de- 
clined to  part  with  it  Pratt  reminded  him  of  his  pov- 
erty and  the  large  sum  he  was  willing,  as  a  representative 
of  his  church,  to  pay  for  this  coveted  possession,  and  that 
he  replied  :  "  You  have  not  money  enough  in  Utah  to 
purchase  it."  One  of  the  most  notable  events  among 
the  Josephites  was  the  recent  debate  at  Kirtland,  Ohio, 
concerning  the  "Book  of  Mormon."  It  lasted  tenor 
twelve  days.  The  discussion  was  carried  on  between 
Elder  E.  L.  Kelly,  of  Kirtland,  and  Clark  Braden,  a 
Campbellite  preacher  of  Minnesota,  who  has  since  pub- 
lished his  arguments  against  the  verity  of  the  book.  Mr. 
Kelly  has  also  had  his  points  of  defence  printed  for  cir- 
culation among  the  Josephites.  The  debate  was  an  ex- 


218  NEW    LIGHT   ON    MORMONISJI. 

haustive  one,  apparently,  every  published  article  or  the 
slightest  importance  on  the  subject  being  brought  tmder 
the  examination  of  the  two  men,  both  of  whom  are  con- 
sidered exceptionally  intelligent.  Whatever  the  present 
result  of  this  controversy  may  be,  its  ultimate  influence 
may  lead  to  a  still  more  serious  inquiry  into  the  Mormon 
delusion. 

In  the  January  number  of  a  small  monthly  published 
at  Laomi,  Iowa,  there  is  an  editorial  to  prove  that  Joseph, 
the  Seer,  predicted  that  if  Brigham  Young  ever  became 
the  head  of  the  church,  he  "would  lead  it  to  hell." 
There  is  also  a  letter  in  the  same  number,  which  is 
interesting  in  connection  with  the  evidence  that  Smith 
was  a  polygamist,  as  follows  : 

"  SAN  BEKNAKDINO,  CALIFOBNIA,  ) 
December  31,  1883.          f 

"  MBS.  MABT  RALPH,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says  :  Hived  in 
Nauvoo,  Illinois,  close  to  the  house  of  Joseph  Smith,  just  across  the 
road,  some  time.  I  also  was  present  at  a  public  meeting,  and  heard 
the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  say  while  preaching,  '  Here  is  Brother 
Brigham  ;  if  he  ever  leads  this  church,  he  will  lead  it  to  hell  ;'  and 
I  believe  he  was  a  true  prophet  of  God.  I  was  well  acquainted  with 
the  two  Partridge  girls  and  the  two  Walker  girls  and  their  two 
broth  ers,  William  and  Lorin  "Walker  ;  they  were  orphans,  and  all  lived 
in  the  family  of  Joseph  Smith  ;  but  I  never  knew  they  were  any  of 
them  his  wives  ;  but  I  saw  Susy  Walker  in  1847,  and  she  had  a  young 
baby  in  her  arms  ;  she  told  me  she  had  been  sealed  to  Joseph  for 
eternity  and  to  Heber  C.  Kimball  for  time,  and  Brother  Heber  was 
acting  proxy  for  Brother  Joseph.  Dianthy  Farr,  daughter  of  Aaron 
Farr,  told  me  she  was  sealed  in  the  same  way,  and  William  Clayton 
was  acting  proxy  for  Brother  Joseph  with  her.  The  first  I  ever  heard 
of  the  proxy  and  sealing  business  was  in  1846.  Bathsheba  Smith, 
wife  of  George  A.,  told  me  of  it  then. 

"  MAET  RALPH. 

"  Sworn  to  before  me,  this  31st  day  of  December,  1883,  W.  J.  Cur- 
tis, Notary  Public  in  and  for  San  Bernardino  County,  State  of  Cali- 
fornia." 


NEW    LIGHT    ON   MORMONI8M.  219 

'An  article  in  the  same  paper,  headed  "  Constitutional 
Law,"  is  by  "  President  Joseph  Smith."  After  giving 
an  extract  from  the  editorial  columns  of  the  JDeseret 
News  of  December  5th,  1884-,  he  makes  the  following 
comments  : 

THE   PERSECUTIONS   IN   ARIZONA. 

"  Another  conviction  has  been  obtained  in  Howard's  Court  in  Ari- 
zona, for  polygamj.  Peter  J.  Christofferson  is  the  victim.  The  evi- 
dence, it  is  stated,  was  as  incomplete  as  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Tenney. 
A  despatch  to  the  San  Francisco  Chronicle  says  ;  '  The  Mormons 
threaten  vengeance  against  the  court.'  That,  of  course,  is  a  false- 
hood. The  Prescott  press  despatcher  has  taken  a  leaf  out  of  his  Salt 
Lake  confrere's  book.  The  '  Mormons  '  will  naturally  feel  indig- 
nant at  the  course  pursued,  in  committing  without  bail,  pending  an 
appeal,  prisoners  who  have  been  convicted  on  hearsay.  But  they  will 
neither  threaten  nor  injure  the  court. 

"  Submission  to  the  law  is  and  has  been  one  of  the  characteristics  of 
the  Latter-Day  Saints,  and  they  have  not  changed  their  principles 
nor  their  policy  by  moving  over  the  line  into  another  territory. 
Their  non  obedience  to  the  anti-polygamy  enactments  is  well  known 
to  spring  from  their  belief  in  the  invalidity  of  those  statutes,  and  it 
is  acknowledged  that  with  those  exceptions  the  '  Mormons  '  are  ex- 
emplary in  their  submission  to  the  laws  of  the  land. 

"  Whatever  opposition  may  proceed  from  our  friends  in  Arizona  to 
the  verdicts  of  juries  and  the  rulings  of  courts,  no  matter  how  un- 
jusr,  and  arbitrary  they  may  be,  will  be  taken  on  legal  grounds  and 
pursued  by  lawful  measures.  Such  proceedings  as  have  been  inau- 
gurated may  give  temporary  comfort  to  bigots,  but  patience  is  a 
'  Mormon '  virtue,  and  '  the  end  is  not  yet.'  " 

He  says  there  are  three  points  in  the  foregoing  edi- 
torial worth  a  notice  :  1,  persecution  in  Arizona  ;  2,  con- 
stitutional law  ;  3,  submission  to  law.  With  an  elaborate 
argument  on  these  points,  he  adds  : 

"  The  church  from  1830  to  1844  was  law-abiding.  Its  utterances  in 
theory,  principle,  dogma,  faith,  and  practice  were  in  keeping  with 
the  teaching  of  the  Constitution.  It  was  the  claim  of  the  elders  that 
the  discovery  of  America  was  foreseen  and  provided  for  by  God,  as 


220  NEW    LIGHT   ON    MORMONISM. 

the  founding  of  a  government  to  be  the  asylum  for  the  oppressed  of 
all  nations.  It  was  the  belief  of  the  leaders  and  the  people  that  the 
struggle  for  independence  was  the  baptism  of  the  tree  of  Liberty  in 
fire  and  blood,  without  which  it  could  never  nourish.  It  was  taught 
as  a  heritage  of  the  covenant  made  with  Abraham,  that  the  men 
who  framed  and  wrote  the  Declaration  and  the  Constitution  were 
raised  up  by  the  Almighty  for  that  purpose.  Christ  so  stated  it  in 
His  declarations  to  the  church  in  the  restoration  of  the  gospel.  Love 
of  country  was  held  and  enjoined  from  father  to  son.  This  was  en- 
forced as  a  sacred  duty,  and  more  binding  on  the  Saints  because  of 
the  wondrous  manifestations  of  God's  providence,  watch,  care,  and  de- 
termination concerning  the  land,  and  the  people  who  should  live 
upon  it.  The  church  felt  this.  Joseph  Smith  boasted  that  he  was  a 
'  Green  Mountain  boy  ; '  for  in  those  Vermont  hills  patriots  were 
born  and  raised.  Obedience  to  law — the  laws  of  the  land — was  a 
duty  and  a  cardinal  virtue.  The  laws  of  the  States  in  which  the 
church  originated  and  appointed  for  the  stakes  of  Zion  were  under 
the  Constitution.  They  were  good  and  sufficient  for  the  establish- 
ment and  continuation  of  the  church  until  the  Prophet  and  Patriarch 
were  slain.  There  was  up  to  that  time  no  church  tenet  or  practice 
that  required  a  Saint  to  break  or  defy  or  evade  the  law  of  the  land  ; 
and  yet  everywhere  the  Elders  went  or  Saints  settled  there  were  laws 
forbidding  more  than  one  companion  in  wedlock. 

"  The  Utah  fragment  sought  a  soil  on  which  to  develop  the  folly  of 
Solomon  and  David  anew — a  land  where  the  crime  and  abomination 
of  the  people  to  whom  Jacob  ministered  the  rebuke  of  God  might  be 
again  re-enacted." 

The  close  of  the  article  is  as  follows  : 

"  The  law  of  1862,prohibiting  polygamy  in  Utah  and  other  territo- 
ries, passed  by  Congress,  has  been  declared  to  be  constitutional  by 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States.  Each  successive  enactment 
of  Congress,  had  in  respect  to  the  same  crime,  has  been  but  supple- 
mentary or  auxiliary  to  that  law,  providing  safeguards  against  those 
who  have  proposed  to  evade  the  law  because  '  they  believed  it  to  be 
invalid.'  The  Acts  of  Congress,  under  which  the  men  '  persecuted' 
in  Arizona  were  arrested,  tried,  and  convicted,  have  been  but  en- 
abling clauses  of  the  same  law  in  harmony  with  the  first. 

"  The  judge,  under  whose  administration  these  men  were  tried,  is 
the  proper  one  to  interpret  the  language  of  the  Constitution  in  re- 
spect to  his  own  court,  which  declares  that '  the  judges  in  every  State 


NEW   LIGHT  ON   MORMONISM.  221 

shall  be  bound  thereby  (by  the  Constitution  and  all  laws  passed 
under  it),  anything  in  the  Constitution  or  laws  of  any  State  to  the 
contrary  notwithstanding.' 

"  No  Legislature  of  any  Sta.te  of  the  United  States,  nor  any  assembly 
of  any  territory  belonging  to  the  United  States,  has  a  right  to  enact 
provisions  which  make  nugatory  or  inoperative  the  Constitution 
or  the  laws  of  the  United  States,  made  under  it.  Neither  the  State 
of  Iowa  nor  the  (state  of  Deseret)  territory  of  Utah  can  rightfully 
pass  and  enforce  enactments  which  estop  the  action  of  the  courts  of 
the  United  States  from  punishing  men  who  have  refused  obedience 
to  the  laws  declared  to  be  constitutional  by  the  Supreme  Court,  or 
who  have  violated  statutes  passed  by  Congress  in  pursuance  of  the 
general  provisions  of  the  Constitution,  approved  by  the  Supreme 
Court.  The  laws  of  the  United  States  passed  into  being  and  opera- 
tion upon  territory  belonging  to  the  States  per  se.  That  which  is  a 
crime  in  the  States,  by  virtue  of  the  United  States  law,  is  a  crime  in 
the  territories  of  the  States.  Not  until  territories  merge  into 
States  are  they  relieved  of  such  disabilities  as  are  imposed  by  the 
special  and  direct  jurisdiction  of  the  United  States. 

"  What  the  (state  of  Deseret)  Utah  Territory  could  not  do  as  a  Ter- 
ritory, she  could  not  authorize  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  to  do. 
Hence,  marriage  being  a  civil  contract,  according  to  the  declaration 
of  the  church,  founded  under  God  under  the  divinely  authorized 
provisions  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  while  that  church 
was  within  States  whose  laws  were  monogamic,  and  before  the  estab- 
lishment of  such  territory  of  Utah,  it  must  remain  a  civil  contract 
still  in  all  and  every  territory  belonging  to  the  United  States,  nor 
was  it  in  the  power  of  the  Territorial  Assembly  to  so  endow  the 
church  in  Utah  by  an  incorporating  charter  with  the  right  to  violate 
the  general  rules  of  the  States  as  to  remove  the  right  to  regulate  the 
domestic  relations  of  husband  and  wife,  parents  and  children  from 
the  province  of  Congress  and  the  United  States  courts.  And  not 
until  Utah  shall  be  admitted  as  a  State  of  the  Union,  with  an  express 
provision  in  its  constitution  providing  for  the  practice  of  plural  or 
polygamic  marriage ,  can  it  become  lawful,  or  the  laws  against  it  be- 
come invalid. 

"  Should  Utah  be  admitted  as  a  State  without  such  express  pro- 
vision in  its  constitution  at  its  admission,  we  believe  that  the  Legis- 
lature could  not  then  legalize  polygamy,  neither  by  direct  enactment 
nor  by  the  roundabout  method  adopted  by  the  Legislature  of  Des- 
eret, and  approved  by  the  Utah  Territorial  Assembly,  by  charter  to 
the  church,  allowing  it  to  control  the  marriage  relations. 


222  NEW    LIGHT   ON    MOKMONISJI. 

' '  Whether  Congress  may  lawfully  admit  Utah  with  such  a  clause 
in  the  Constitution  permitting  plural  marriage  either  as  a  civil  con- 
tract or  as  a  church  sacrament  we  do  not  discuss,  as  such  contin- 
gency is  of  doubtful  occurrence.  But  it  may  be  pertinent  to  say  that 
bigamy  or  polygamy  (plural  marriage),  being  a  crime  in  all  other 
States  of  the  Union,  should  Utah  be  admitted  with  such  a  clause  in 
its  constitution,  '  full  faith  and  credit  '  could  not  be  given  such 
'  public  acts  '  in  the  other  States,  for  persons  plurally  married  in 
Utah  could  not  legally  live  in  those  States. " 


From  this  quotation  it  will  be  seen  how  strongly  the 
leader  of  the  Josephites  denounces  the  Utah  Mormons 
and  polygamy.  He  is  still,  however,  a  Mormon,  teach- 
ing Mormon  doctrines,  the  divine  origin  of  the  "  Book 
of  Mormon,"  and  that  Joseph  Smith,  his  father,  was  a 
prophet.  While  the  Josephites  have  not  increased  as 
rapidly  as  the  Utah  Mormons  during  the  thirty  odd  years 
since  the  division  in  the  church,  or  since  Brigham  Young 
led  all  save  a  remnant  of  the  Saints  to  Deseret,  it  is 
astonishing  to  find  this  second  body  of  "  the  chosen  peo- 
ple "  so  numerous,  and  with  places  of  worship  in  old 
New  England  towns.  The  attention  of  the  civilized 
world  has  been  startled  into  activity,  regarding  the  Mor- 
mons of  Utah,  by  their  atrocities,  by  their  plurality  of 
wives,  and  acts  of  defiance  toward  the  government,  while 
very  little  has  been  known  or  written  of  the  Josephites, 
who  have  meantime  been  increasing  in  numbers  and 
wealth,  and  outwardly,  at  least,  respecting  the  Federal 
law.  They  have  also  joined  the  great  mass  of  people  in 
throwing  stones  at  their  former  neighbors  and  friends, 
forgetting  how  thin  the  material  is  of  which  their  own 
habitation  is  made.  A  number  of  the  Josephites  are  in- 
telligent and  fairly  educated  ;  these  are  the  leaders  of 
the  mass,  half-educated,  credulous,  and  often  illiterate 
men  and  women,  with  crude  notions  as  to  right  and 


NEW    LIGHT    ON    MORMONISM.  223 

wrong,  and  ready  to  adopt  a  religious  belief  that  is  elo- 
quently and  persuasively  preached  in  their  hearing. 

The  following  are  extracts  from  a  letter  printed  in 
the  Boston  Evening  Transcript  of  June  7th,  1884.  It 
is  headed,  "Down  on  the  Cape — A  Colony  of  Latter- 
Day  Saints  at  Dennisport,  Mass.:" 

"  Released  from  the  vehicle,  and  standing  in  the  porch  of  the 
hotel,  we  ventured  to  inquire  of  John  in  what  part  of  Harwich  the 
Mormon  Colony  is  located. 

"  '  Wa'll,  now  you've  got  me,'  he  replied.  '  I  guess  you  mean  the 
"  Latter-Day  Saints."  We  don't  call  'em  Mormons  down  here.' 

"  '  I  suppose  so.  "Will  you  answer  some  questions  I  may  ask  you 
of  them  ?  ' 

"  '  Sartain  sure  ;  but  I  won't  tell  a  lie  about  them  if  I  go  under. 
They  live  right  down  to  Dennisport,  about  a  mile  from  here,  and  I'll 
take  you  down  there  after  dinner. ' 

"  West  Harwich  is  a  clean,  lively  little  town,  with  good  accommo- 
dations for  summer  boarders  at  moderate  prices.  This  was  quickly 
learned,  and  we  started  to  see  the  '  Saints,"  whose  houses  occupy  two 
long  streets,  or  roads,  down  to  the  Port.  These  dwellings  are  com- 
fortable in  appearance,  and  have  gardens  about  them.  A  moderate- 
sized  building,  larger  than  the  houses,  we  were  told,  '  is  the  place 
where  the  Saints  have  their  meetings.' 

' '  Our  driver  was  true  to  his  principle  of  reticence  concerning  the 
Mormons,  but  excused  it  with  the  promise  to  find  Captain  Howes, 
one  of  the  most  prominent  of  the  '  Saints,'  who  would  tell  us  all  we 
wanted  to  know  ;  and,  suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  he  drove  on  to 
the  wharf  and  called  out  to  an  amphibious-looking  individual  sitting 
in  a  boat  that  was  close  to  the  deck  : 

'• '  Captain,  here's  some  folks  from  ever  so  far  ;  they  want  to  see 
you.' 

"  The  captain  stared,  and  so  did  the  dozen  or  so  fishermen  loiter- 
ing about  and  talking  of  the  morning's  catch  of  three  thousand 
mackerel  that  was  to  be  sent  to  Boston  ;  but  after  a  moment  he  called 
out  that  he  would  come  ashore.  The  sea  was  slightly  ruffled  with  an 
east  wind,  but  was  of  that  deep  blue  that  artists  love  to  picture,  and 
away  out  were  the  fishing-smacks  coming  into  port  with  their  bur- 
dens. We  had  turned  and  been  driven  under  shelter  by  the  time  '  the 
captain  '  made  his  appearance,  and  closer  observation  proved  him  to 


224  TSEW   LIGHT    ON"   MORMONISM. 

be  a  hardy  specimen  of  his  peculiar  calling  :  tall,  lithe,  keen-eyed, 
and  of  a  rather  intelligent  visage.  '  Yes,'  said  he,  as  if  he  had  hastily 
made  up  his  mind  what  to  say,  '  I  am  perfectly  willing  to  talk  of  niy 
religion.  "We  are  Mormons  of  the  kind  called  "  Josephites  ;"  we  are 
the  true  "  Latter-Day  Saints  ;"  we  do  not  believe  in  plurality — ' 

"  '  You  mean  polygamy  ?  ' 

" '  Yes,  that  is  what  I  mean.  "When  the  Mormons  separated,  at 
the  time  of  Joseph  Smith's  death,  some  of  them  went  off  to  their 
destruction  with  Brigham  Young  ;  but  we  don't  countenance  them. 
Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  of  Piano,  111.,  is  our  leader — ' 

"  '  And  his  father,  Joe  Smith — ' 

"  '  We  believe  his  father  was  a  true  prophet.  "We  believe  in  im- 
mersion as  the  true  baptism,  because  Christ  was  baptized  in  the  river 
Jordan  ;  we  believe  that  no  one  will  be  eternally  lost,  although  they 
have  to  suffer  for  their  sins,  and  we  think  Christ  is  coming  in  person 
to  reign  over  us.' 

"  '  How  about  your  form  of  worship  ?  ' 

"  '  Well,  we  have  a  Bible  that  Elder  Pratt  translated— it's  like  the 
King  James  Bible,  only  it  explains  things  a  good  deal,  makes  them 
clear  ;  we  sing  and  have  prayer-meetings  and  a  Sunday-school  and 
Sunday  services,  just  like  other  people. ' 

"  '  You  have  a  good  many  religions  mixed  up  in  one.' 

"  '  Yes  ;  the  best  of  all  of  them  put  together,' 

"  '  And  the  "  Book  of  Mormon"  ? ' 

"  '  Well,  that  is  a  history  of  Mormon  that  Smith  found  written  on 
some  gold  plates." 

"  '  Who  wrote  it  ? ' 

'"I  don't  know.' 

"  He  went  then  on  to  state  that  he  had  always  resided  at  Dennis- 
port ;  that  he  was  converted  by  an  elder,  a  Mormon  missionary,  and 
that  Joe  Smith,  Jr.,  had  attended  one  of  their  conferences,  two  of 
which  are  held  in  Ocean  Hall  at  West  Harwich  each  year  ;  that  these 
meetings  are  largely  attended  by  Mormons  resident  in  New  England, 
who  are  colonized  in  several  places — at  Fall  River,  Providence,  Bos- 
ton, and  elsewhere. 

"  '  I  wish  I  had  time  to  talk  more  of  our  people,'  concluded  the 
fisherman  ;  '  but  you  must  go  and  see  our  elder, '  and  he  turned  away 
with  a  little  twinkle  in  his  gray  eyes. 

"  The  elder  was  ill,  or  forewarned  of  our  coming,  and  we  did  not 
see  him  ;  but  from  a  less  cautious  person  we  gathered  some  significant 
statements  respecting  the  '  Saints.'  While  they  profess  not  to  be- 
lieve in  '  plurality,'  they  act  in  numerous  cases  upon  the  principle  of 


NEW   LIGHT   ON    MORMONISM.  225 

'  affinity.'  Marriages  among  them  have  in  this  way  been  frequently 
broken  and  resumed.  One  woman  went  to  Utah,  was  gone  twenty 
years,  and  returned  to  her  old  marital  relations.  Our  informer, 
when  we  expressed  surprise  at  this  and  other  statements  of  a  like 
character,  said  : 

'"  Why,  it's  right  enough  ;  people  can't  help  liking  each  other  if 
they  are  married. ' 

"  The  conferences  this  person  mentioned  as  most  enjoyable  occa- 
sions, with  '  good  speaking  from  real  smart  men,'  and  a  general  at- 
tendance of  the  people  in  the  neighborhood,  some  of  whom,  it  is 
said,  are  generally  made  converts.  It  was  impossible  to  learn  just 
how  many  Mormons  there  were  at  Dennisport— really  a  part  of  West 
Harwich — but  there  are  more  than  fifty  of  their  dwellings,  and  over 
one  hundred  residents  in  them  may  fairly  be  estimated. 

"  The  children  of  this  colony  attend  the  free  school  with  the  other 
children  of  Harwich,  and  there  is  a  general  tolerance  of  the  '  Saints,' 
old  and  young,  by  the  residents  in  the  vicinity  in  a  business,  if  not 
in  a  social,  way.  An  intelligent  man,  born  and  brought  up  on  the 
cape,  in  speaking  of  them,  said  :  '  These  Mormons  are  industrious, 
and  behave  very  well  ;  but,  of  course,  they've  got  some  black  sheep 
among  them,  like  any  other  body  of  religious  people.'  Another  said, 
in  excuse  for  one  of  the  '  Saints  '  who  departed  from  the  colony  with 
an  '  affinity,'  '  Why,  he  came  back  and  lives  here  now.'  " 

A  Mormon  elder,  in  speaking  of  this  letter,  remarked 
that  the  Captain  Howes  alluded  to  is  a  man  who  is  much 
esteemed  by  his  brethren.  The  statements  made  by  sev- 
eral unprejudiced  residents  of  Harwich  regarding  their 
neighbors  of  Dennisport  show  that  there  is  an  obliquity 
of  vision  in  regard  to  the  moral  code  among  these  fisher- 
men, which  comes  either  from  lack  of  principle  or  de- 
fective training.  The  Mormon  of  Utah  is  a  polygamist 
if  he  has  the  means  to  be  so  ;  it  is  a  precept  of  his  faith  ; 
the  followers  of  Joseph  the  Second  can  have  but  one 
wife  and  an  "affinity."  It  must,  however,  be  added, 
that  indisputably  many  of  the  Josephites  lead  peaceable, 
innocent,  and  inoffensive  lives.  This  may  be  said  of  the 
greater  proportion  of  them  probably.  The  women  have 
few  of  the  trials  of  their  sisters  in  Utah  ;  the  men  are 


226  NEW    LIGHT   ON    MORMONISil. 

toilers  on  the  sea  and  land.  They  rejoice  in  their  relig- 
ious faith.  It  is  pitiful  that  it  has  no  better  foundation 
than  to  have  been  stolen  from  an  old  romance. 


EPITOME    OF    THE    FAITH     AND    DOCTRINES    OF    THE    REOR- 
GANIZED  CHDECH  OF  JESUS  CHRIST  OF  LATTER-DAY  SAINTS. 

"  We  believe  in  God  the  Eternal  Father,  and  in  His  Son  Jesus 
Christ,  and  in  the  Holy  Ghost.  Matt.  28  : 19.  1  John  1  : 3.  St. 
John  11  : 26. 

"  We  believe  that  men  will  be  punished  for  their  own  sins,  and  not 
for  Adam's  transgression.  Ecc.  12  : 14.  Matt.  16  :  27.  1  Cor.  8  :  18. 
Eev.  20  : 12-15. 

"  We  believe  that  through  the  atonement  of  Christ  all  men  may 
be  saved,  by  obedience  to  the  laws  and  ordinances  of  the  gospel. 
1  Cor.  15  :  8.  2  Tim.  1  : 10.  Eom.  8  : 1-6. 

"  We  believe  that  these  ordinances  are: 

"  (1st)  Faith  in  God  and  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Heb.  11  : 6. 
1  Peter  1  :  21.  1  Tim.  4  : 10.  John  3  : 16,  18,  36.  Mark  11  :  22. 
John  14 :  1. 

"  (2d)  Kepentance.  Matt.  3:2,  8,  11.  Luke  13:3;  24:47. 
Ezek.  18  :  30.  Mark  1  :  5,  15.  Acts  2  :  38.  Eomans  2:4.  2  Cor. 
7:10. 

"(3d)  Baptism  by  immersion,  for  the  remission  of  sins.  Matt. 
3  : 13-15.  Mark  1  :  4,  5.  Luke  8  :  8.  John  8  :  5.  Acts  2  :  38  ; 
22  : 16  ;  2  : 41  ;  8  : 12,  37,  38.  Mark  16  : 16.  Col.  2  :  12.  Eomans 
6  :  4,  5.  John  3  : 23.  Acts  8  :  38,  39. 

"  (4th)  Laying  on  of  hands  for  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Deut. 
34  :  9.  John  20  :  21,  22.  Acts  8  : 17  :  19  :  6.  1  Tim.  4  : 14.  Acts 
9  : 17.  1  Cor.  12  :  3.  Acts  19  : 1-6. 

"  (5th)  We  believe  in  the  Eesurrection  of  the  Body  ;  that  the  dead 
in  Christ  will  rise  first,  and  the  rest  of  the  dead  will  not  live  again 
•until  the  thousand  years  are  expired.  Job  19  :  25,  26.  Dan.  12  : 2. 
1  Cor.  15:42.  1  Thess.  4:16.  Eev.  20:6.  Acts  17:31.  Phil. 
3  :  21.  John  11  :  24.  Isaiah  26  : 19.  Ps.  17  : 15. 

"  (6th)  We  believe  in  the  doctrine  of  Eternal  Judgment,  which 
provides  that  men  shall  be  judged,  rewarded,  or  punished  according 
to  the  degree  of  good  or  evil  they  shall  have  done.  Eev.  20  : 12. 
Ecc.  3  : 17.  Matt.  16  : 27.  2  Cor.  5  : 10.  2  Peter  2  : 4,  13,  17. 

"  We  believe  that  a  man  must  be  Called  of  God,  and  ordained  by 


NEW   LIGHT  ON  MOKMONISM.  227 

the  Laying  on  of  Hands  of  those  who  are  in  authority,  to  entitle  him 
to  preach  the  Gospel,  and  Administer  in  the  Ordinances  thereof. 
Heb.  5:1,  5,  6,  8.  Acts  1  : 24,  25  ;  14  : 23.  Eph.  4  : 11.  John 
15  : 16. 

"  We  believe  in  the  same  kind  of  organization  that  existed  in  the 
primitive  church — viz.,  apostles,  prophets,  pastors,  teachers,  evange- 
lists, etc.  1  Cor.  12  : 28.  Matt.  10  : 12.  Acts  6  : 4.  Eph.  4  : 11  ; 
2  :  20.  Titus  1  :  5. 

"  We  believe  that  in  the  Bible  is  contained  the  word  of  God,  so  far 
ns  it  is  translated  correctly.  We  believe  that  the  canon  of  Scripture 
is  not  full,  but  that  God,  by  His  Spirit,  will  continue  to  reveal  His 
word  to  man  until  the  end  of  time.  Job  32  :  8.  Hebrews  13  : 8. 
Proverbs  29  : 18.  Amos  3  :  7.  Jeremiah  23  :  4  ;  31  :  31,  34  ;  33  :  6. 
Psalms  85  : 10,  11.  Luke  17  : 26.  Rev.  14  : 6,  7  ;  19  :  10. 

"  We  believe  in  the  powers  and  gifts  of  the  everlasting  gospel — viz., 
the  gift  of  faith,  discerning  of  spirits,  prophecy,  revelation,  visions, 
healing,  tongues,  and  the  interpretation  of  tongues,  wisdom,  charity, 
brotherly  love,  etc.  1  Cor.  12  : 1-11  ;  14  : 26.  John  14  : 24.  Acts 
2  :  8.  Matt.  28  : 19,  20.  Mark  16  : 16. 

"  We  believe  that  Marriage  is  ordained  of  God  ;  and  that  the  law 
of  God  provides  for  but  one  companion  in  wedlock,  for  either  man 
or  woman,  except  in  cases  where  the  contract  of  marriage  is  broken 
by  death  or  transgression.  Genesis  2  : 18,  21-24  ;  7:1,  7,  13.  Prov- 
erbs 5  : 15-21.  Malachi  2  : 14,  15.  Matt.  19  : 4-6.  1  Cor.  7  :  2. 
Hebrews  13  : 4. 

"  We  believe  that  the  doctrines  of  a  plurality  and  a  community  of 
wives  are  heresies,  and  are  opposed  to  the  law  of  God.  Gen.  4  : 19, 
23,  24  ;  7:9  ;  22  : 2,  in  connection  Gal.  4th  and  5th  chapters.  Gen. 
21  : 8-10.  Mai.  2  : 14,  15.  Matt.  19  :  3-9. 

"  We  believe  that  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ,  as  taught  in  the  New 
Testament  Scriptures,  will,  if  its  precepts  are  accepted  and  obeyed, 
make  men  and  women  better  in  the  domestic  circle,  and  better  citi- 
zens of  town,  county,  and  State,  and  consequently  better  fitted  for 
the  change  which  cometh  at  death. 

"  We  believe  that  men  should  worship  God  in  '  Spirit  and  in 
truth  ;  '  and  that  such  worship  does  not  require  a  violation  of  the 
constitutional  law  of  the  land.  John  4 :  21-24.  Doctrine  and  Cov- 
enants, sect.  58,  par.  5. 

"  We  claim  the  privilege  of  worshipping  Almighty  God  according 
to  the  dictates  of  our  conscience,  and  allow  all  men  the  same  priv- 
ilege, let  them  worship  how,  where,  or  what  they  may." 


228  NEW  LIGHT  03*  MORMONIS3T. 

Please  understand  that  the  Reorganized  Church  *  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-Day  Saints  is  in  no  way  con- 
nected with  Salt  Lake  Mormons.  That  polygamy  never 
was  and  never  can  he  a  doctrine  or  practice  among  those 
who  follow  the  teachings  of  Christ  and  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Hear  what  the  "  Book  of  Mormon"  says  on  polygamy  : 
"  Wherefore,  my  brethren,  hear  me,  and  hearken  to  the 
word  of  the  Lord  ;  for  there  shall  not  any  man  among 
you  have  save  it  be  one  wife,  and  concubines  he  shall 
have  none,  for  1,  the  Lord  God,  delight  in  the  chastity 
of  women,"  etc. 

Polygamy  originated  with  the  leaders  of  the  Utah 
Church,  and  that  church  has  departed  from  the  faith  of 
the  pure  gospel  system,  as  taught  by  the  church  of  Christ, 
both  of  former  and  latter  days,  and  the  Utah  Church  has 
clearly  fulfilled  the  prophecy  of  Paul,  1  Tim.  4  : 1,  and 
Jer.  IT  :  5,  6. 

The  Reorganized  Church  has  done  more  to  put  down 
polygamy  than  any  other  denomination  on  the  face  of 
the  earth. 

[Any  history  of  Mormonism  would  be  incomplete  without  a  copy  of 
the  "  Revelation,"  which  has  played  so  important  a  part  in  the  de- 
velopment of  the  church.  It  is  here  copied  intact  for  the  benefit  of 
the  historical  student.] 

CELESTIAL   MARRIAGE. 

A  revelation  on  the  patriarchal  order  of  marriage, 
or  plurality  of  wives,  given  to  Joseph  Smith,  the  seer, 
in  Nauvoo,  July  12th,  1843.  f 

"  I.  Verily,  thus  saith  the  Lord  unto  you,  My  servant  Joseph,  that 
inasmuch  as  you  have  inquired  of  my  hand  to  know  and  understand 
wherein  I,  the  Lord,  justified  my  servants  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob, 

*  From  a  Josephite  newspaper. 

f  From  Stenhouse's  "  Rocky  Mountain  Saints, "  p.  176. 


NEW    LIGHT   ON    MORilONISM.  229 

as  also  Moses,  David,  and  Solomon  my  servants,  as  touching  the 
principle  and  doctrine  of  their  having  many  wives  and  concubines  ; 
behold,  and  lo  !  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  will  answer  thee  as 
touching  this  matter  ;  therefore  prepare  thy  heart  to  receive  and 
obey  the  instructions  which  I  am  about  to  give  unto  you  ;  for  all  those 
who  have  this  law  revealed  unto  them  must  obey  the  same  ;  for,  be-' 
hold  !  I  reveal  unto  you  a  new  and  an  everlasting  covenant ;  and  if 
ye  abide  not  that  covenant,  then  are  ye  damned  ;  for  no  one  can 
reject  this  covenant,  and  be  permitted  to  enter  into  my  glory  ;  for  all 
who  will  have  a  blessing  at  my  hands  shall  abide  the  law  which  was 
appointed  for  that  blessing,  and  the  conditions  thereof  as  was  insti- 
tuted from  before  the  foundation  of  the  world  ;  and  as  pertaining  to 
the  new  and  everlasting  covenant,  it  was  instituted  for  the  fulness 
of  my  glory  ;  and  he  that  receiveth  a  fulness  thereof  must  and  shall 
abide  the  law  or  be  damned,  saith  the  Lord. 

"  II.  And  verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  the  conditions  of  this  law  are 
these  :  All  covenants,  contracts,  bonds,  obligations,  oaths,  vows,  per- 
formances, connections,  associations,  or  expectations,  that  are  not 
made,  and  entered  into,  and  sealed  by  the  Holy  Spirit  of  promise  of 
him  who  is  anointed,  both  as  well  for  time  and  for  all  eternity,  and 
that,  too,  most  holy  by  revelation  and  commandment,  through  the 
medium  of  mine  anointed,  whom  I  have  appointed  on  the  earth  to 
hold  this  power  (and  I  have  appointed  unto  my  servant  Joseph  to 
hold  this  power  in  the  last  days,  and  there  is  never  but  one  on  the 
earth  at  a  time,  on  whom  this  power  and  the  keys  of  this  priesthood 
are  conferred),  are  of  no  efficacy,  virtue,  or  force  in  and  after  the 
resurrection  from  the  dead  ;  for  all  contracts  that  are  not  made  unto 
this  end,  have  an  end  when  men  are  dead. 

"III.  Behold!  mine  house  is  an  house  of  order,  saith  the  Lord 
God,  and  not  a  house  of  confusion.  Will  I  accept  an  offering,  saith 
the  Lord,  that  is  not  made  in  my  name  ?  Or  will  I  receive  at  your 
hands  that  which  I  have  not  appointed  ?  And  I  will  appoint  unto 
you,  saith  the  Lord,  except  it  be  by  law,  even  as  I  and  my  Father 
ordained  unto  you  before  the  world  was  !  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God, 
and  I  give  unto  you  this  commandment,  that  no  man  shall  come  unto 
the  Father  but  by  me  or  by  my  word,  which  is  my  law,  saith  the 
Lord  ;  and  everything  that  is  in  the  world,  whether  it  be  ordained  of 
men  by  thrones,  or  principalities,  or  powers,  or  things  of  name,  what- 
soever they  may  be,  that  are  not  by  me,  or  by  iny  word,  saith  the 
Lord,  shall  be  thrown  down,  and  shall  not  remain  after  men  are  dead, 
neither  in  nor  after  the  resurrection,  saith  the  Lord  your  God  ;  for 
whatsoever  things  are  not  by  me  shall  be  shaken  and  destroyed. 


230  NEW  LIGHT   ON   MOKMONISM. 

"  IV.  Therefore,  if  a  man  many  him  a  wife  in  the  world,  and  he 
marry  her  not  by  me,  nor  by  my  word,  and  he  covenant  with  her  so 
long  as  he  is  in  the  world,  and  she  with  him,  their  covenant  and 
marriage  is  not  of  force  when  they  are  dead,  and  when  they  are  out 
of  the  world  ;  therefore,  they  are  not  bound  by  any  law  when  they 
are  out  of  the  world  ;  therefore,  when  they  are  out  of  the  world, 
they  neither  marry,  nor  are  given  in  marriage  ;  but  are  appointed 
angels  in  heaven,  which  angels  are  ministering  servants  to  minister 
to  whose  who  are  worthy  of  a  far  more  and  eternal  weight  of  glory  ; 
for  these  angels  did  not  abide  my  law  ;  therefore  they  cannot  be 
enlarged,  but  remain  separately  and  singly  without  exaltation,  in 
their  saved  condition  to  all  eternity,  and  from  henceforth  are  not 
gods  ;  but  are  angels  of  God  forever  and  ever. 

"  V.  And  again, verily  I  say  unto  you,  if  a  man  marry  a  wife,  and 
make  a  covenant  with  her  for  time  and  for  all  eternity,  if  that  cov- 
enant is  not  by  me  or  by  my  word  which  is  my  law,  and  is  not  sealed 
by  the  Holy  Spirit  of  promise  through  him  whom  I  have  anointed 
and  appointed  unto  this  power,  then  it  is  not  valid,  neither  of  force 
when  they  are  out  of  the  world,  because  they  are  not  joined  by  me, 
saith  the  Lord,  neither  by  my  word  ;  when  they  are  out  of  the  world, 
it  cannot  be  received  there,  because  the  angels  and  the  gods  are  ap- 
pointed there,  by  whom  they  cannot  pass  ;  they  cannot,  therefore, 
inherit  my  glory,  for  my  house  is  an  house  of  order,  saith  the  Lord 
God. 

"  VI.  And  again,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  if  a  man  marry  a  wife  by 
my  word,  which  is  my  law,  and  by  the  new  and  everlasting  covenant, 
and  it  is  sealed  unto  them  by  the  Holy  Spirit  of  promise,  by  him 
who  is  anointed,  unto  whom  I  have  appointed  this  power,  and  the 
keys  of  this  priesthood  ;  and  it  shall  be  said  unto  them,  ye  shall 
come  forth  in  the  first  resurrection,  and  if  it  be  after  the  first  resur- 
rection, in  the  next  resurrection,  and  shall  inherit  thrones,  kingdoms, 
principalities,  and  powers  of  dominions,  all  heights,  and  depths, 
then  it  shall  be  written  in  the  Lamb's  Book  of  Life,  that  he  shall 
commit  no  murder  whereby  to  shed  innocent  blood  ;  and  if  ye  abide 
in  my  covenant,  and  commit  no  murder  whereby  to  shed  innocent 
blood,  it  shall  be  done  unto  them  in  all  things  whatsoever  my  ser- 
vant hath  put  upon  them  in  time  and  through  all  eternity,  and  shall 
be  full  of  force  when  they  are  out  of  the  world  ;  and  they  shall  pass 
by  the  angels,  and  the  gods  which  are  set  there,  to  their  exaltation 
and  glory  in  all  things,  as  hath  been  sealed  upon  their  heads,  which 
glory  shall  be  a  fulness  and  a  continuation  of  the  deeds  forever  and 
ever. 


NEW  LIGHT  ON"  MORMONISM.  231 

'•  VII.  That  they  shall  be  gods,  because  they  have  no  end  ;  there- 
fore they  shall  be  from  everlasting  to  everlasting,  because  they  con- 
tinue ;  then  shall  they  be  above  all,  because  all  things  are  subject 
unto  them.  Then  shall  they  be  gods,  because  they  have  all  power, 
and  the  angels  are  subject  unto  them. 

' '  VIII.  Verily,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  except  ye  abide  my  law,  ye 
cannot  attain  to  this  glory  ;  for  straight  is  the  gate,  and  narrow  the 
way  that  leadeth  unto  the  exaltation  and  continuation  of  the  lives, 
and  few  there  be  that  find  it,  because  ye  receive  me  not  in  the  world, 
neither  do  ye  know  me.  But  if  ye  receive  me  in  the  world,  then 
shall  ye  know  me,  and  shall  receive  your  exaltation  that  where  I  am 
ye  shall  be  also.  This  is  eternal  lives,  to  know  the  only  true  and 
wise  God,  and  Jesus  Christ,  whom  He  hath  sent.  I  am  He.  Receive 
ye  therefore  my  law.  Broad  is  the  gate,  and  wide  the  way,  that 
leadeth  to  the  death  ;  and  many  there  are  that  go  in  thereat,  because 
they  receive  me  not,  neither  do  they  abide  in  my  law. 

"  IX.  Verily,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  if  a  man  marry  a  wife  accord- 
ing to  my  word,  and  they  are  sealed  by  the  Holy  Spirit  of  promise 
according  to  mine  appointment,  and  he  or  she  shall  commit  any 
Bin  or  transgression  of  the  new  and  everlasting  covenant  whatever, 
and  all  manner  of  blasphemies,  and  if  they  commit  no  murder 
wherein  they  shed  no  innocent  blood,  yet  they  shall  come  forth  in 
the  first  resurrection,  and  enter  into  their  exaltation  ;  but  they  shall 
be  destroyed  in  the  flesh,  and  shall  be  delivered  unto  the  buffetings 
of  Satan,  unto  the  day  of  redemption,  saith  the  Lord  God. 

"  X.  The  blasphemy  against  the  Holy  Spirit  which  shall  not  be 
forgiven  in  the  world,  nor  out  of  the  world,  is  in  that  ye  commit 
murder  wherein  ye  shed  innocent  blood,  and  assent  unto  my  death, 
after  ye  have  received  my  new  and  everlasting  covenant,  saith  the 
Lord  God  ;  and  he  that  abideth  not  in  this  law  can  in  nowise  enter 
into  my  glory,  but  shall  be  damned,  saith  the  Lord. 

"  XI.  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  will  give  unto  thee  the  law  of 
my  holy  priesthood,  as  was  ordained  by  me,  and  my  father  before  the 
world  was.  Abraham  received  all  things,  whatsoever  he  received  by 
revelation  and  commandment  by  my  word,  saith  the  Lord,  and  hath 
entered  into  his  exaltation,  and  sitteth  upon  his  throne. 

"  XII.  Abraham  received  promises  concerning  his  seed,  and  of  the 
fruit  of  his  loins— from  whose  loins  ye  are — namely,  ray  servant 
Joseph — which  were  to  continue  so  long  as  they  were  in  the  world  ; 
and  as  touching  Abraham  and  his  seed,  out  of  the  world,  they  should 
continue  ;  both  in  the  world  and  out  of  the  world  should  they  con- 
tinue as  innumerable  as  the  stars  ;  or,  if  ye  were  to  count  the  sand 


232  NEW  LIGHT  ON  MORMONISM. 

npon  the  seashore,  ye  could  not  number  them.  This  promise  is  yours 
also,  as  ye  are  of  Abraham,  and  the  promise  was  made  to  Abraham  ; 
and  by  this  law  are  the  continuation  of  the  works  of  my  Father, 
wherein  He  glorifieth  Himself.  Go  ye  therefore  and  do  the  works 
of  Abraham  ;  enter  ye  into  my  law,  and  ye  shall  be  saved.  But  if  ye 
enter  not  into  iny  law,  ye  cannot  receive  the  promise  of  my  Father, 
which  He  made  unto  Abraham. 

"  XIII.  God  commanded  Abraham  and  Sarah,  gave  Hagar  to 
Abraham  to  wife.  And  why  did  she  do  it  ?  Because  this  was  the 
law,  and  from  Hagar  sprang  many  people.  This,  therefore,  was  ful- 
filling among  other  things  the  promises.  Was  Abraham,  therefore, 
under  condemnation  ?  Verily,  I  say  unto  you,  nay  ;  for  I,  the  Lord, 
commanded  it.  Abraham  was  commanded  to  offer  his  son  Isaac  ; 
nevertheless,  it  was  written,  Thou  shalt  not  kill.  Abraham,  however, 
(lid  not  refuse,  and  it  was  accounted  unto  him  for  righteousness. 

"  XIV.  Abraham  received  concubines,  and  they  bare  him  children  ; 
and  it  was  accounted  unto  him  for  righteousness,  because  they  were 
given  unto  him,  and  he  abode  in  my  law,  as  Isaac  also,  and  Jacob 
did  none  other  things  than  that  which  they  were  commanded  ;  and 
because  they  did  none  other  things  than  that  which  they  were  com- 
manded, they  have  entered  into  their  exaltation,  according  to  the 
promises,  and  sit  upon  thrones,  and  are  not  angels,  but  are  gods. 
David  also  received  many  wives  and  concubines,  as  also  Solomon 
and  Moses,  my  servants,  as  also  many  others  of  my  servants,  from 
the  beginning  of  creation  until  this  time  ;  and  in  nothing  did  they 
sin,  save  in  those  things  they  did  not  receive  of  me. 

"XV.  David's  wives  and  concubines  were  given  unto  him  of  me, 
by  the  hard  of  Nathan,  my  servant,  and  others  of  the  prophets,  who 
had  the  keys  of  this  power,  and  in  none  of  these  things  did  he  sin 
against  me,  save  in  the  case  of  Uriah  and  his  wife,  and  therefore 
he  hath  fallen  from  his  exaltation,  and  received  his  portion,  and  he 
shall  not  inherit  them  out  of  the  world,  for  I  gave  them  unto  another, 
saith  the  Lord. 

' '  XVI.  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  I  gave  unto  thee  my  servant 
Joseph  an  appointment  and  restore  all  things  ;  ask  what  ye  will,  and 
it  shall  be  given  unto  you,  according  to  my  word  ;  and  as  he  have 
asked  concerning  adultery — verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  if  a  man 
receive  a  wife  in  the  new  and  everlasting  covenant,  and  if  she  be 
with  another  man,  and  I  have  not  appointed  her  by  the  holy  anoint- 
ing, she  hath  committed  adultery,  and  shall  be  destroyed.  If  she  be 
not  in  the  new  and  everlasting  covenant,  and  she  be  with  another 
man,  she  hath  committed  adultery  ;  and  if  her  husband  be  with 


NEW  LIGHT  ON  MOKMONISM.  233 

another  woman,  and  he  was  under  a  vow,  he  hath  broken  his  vow 
and  bath  committed  adultery;  and  if  she  hath  not  committed  adultery, 
bat  is  innocent,  and  hath  not  broken  her  vow,  and  she  knoweth  it, 
and  I  reveal  it  unto  you  my  servant  Joseph,  then  shall  you  have 
power,  by  the  power  of  my  holy  priesthood,  to  take  her,  and  give  her 
unto  him  that  hath  not  committed  adultery,  but  hath  been  faith- 
ful, for  he  shall  be  made  ruler  over  many  ;  for  I  have  conferred  upon 
you  the  keys  and  power  of  the  priesthood,  wherein  I  shall  restore  all 
things,  and  make  known  unto  you  all  things  in  due  time. 

"  XVII.  And  verily,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  whatsoever  you 
seal  on  earth,  shall  be  sealed  in  heaven  ;  and  whatsoever  you  bind  on 
earth  in  my  name  and  by  my  word,  saith  the  Lord,  it  shall  be  eter- 
nally bound  in  the  heavens  ;  and  whosesoever  sins  ye  shall  remit  on 
earth,  shall  be  remitted  eternally  in  the  heavens  ;  and  whosesoever 
sins  ye  retain  on  earth,  shall  be  retained  in  heaven. 

"  XVIII.  And  again,  verily  I  say,  whomsoever  you  bless,  I  will 
bless,  and  whomsoever  you  curse,  I  will  curse,  saith  the  Lord  ;  for  I 
the  Lord  am  thy  God. 

"  XIX.  And  again,  verily  I  say  unto  you  my  servant  Joseph,  that 
whatsoever  you  give  on  earth,  and  to  whomsoever  you  give  any  one 
on  earth,  by  my  word,  and  according  to  my  law,  it  shall  be  visited 
•with  blessing,  and  not  cursings,  and  with  my  power,  saith  the  Lord, 
and  shall  be  without  condemnation  on  earth  and  in  heaven,  for  I 
am  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  will  be  with  thee,  even  unto  the  end  of 
the  world,  and  through  all  eternity  ;  for  verily  I  seal  upon  you  your 
exaltation,  and  prepare  a  throne  for  you  in  the  kingdom  of  my 
Father,  with  Abraham  your  father.  Behold,  I  have  seen  your  sac- 
rifices, and  I  will  forgive  all  your  sins  ;  I  have  seen  your  sacrifices  in 
obedience  to  that  which  I  have  told  you  ;  go  therefore,  and  I  make 
a  way  for  your  escape,  as  1  accepted  the  offering  of  Abraham,  of  his 
son  Isaac. 

"  XX.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  a  commandment  I  give  unto  my 
handmaid  Emma  Smith,  your  wife,  whom  I  have  given  unto  you, 
that  she  stay  herself,  and  partake  not  of  that  which  I  commanded 
you  to  offer  unto  her  ;  for  I  did  it,  saith  the  Lord,  to  prove  you  all, 
as  I  did  Abraham,  and  that  I  might  require  an  offering  at  your  hand, 
by  covenant  and  sacrifice  ;  and  let  my  handmaid  Emma  Smith  re- 
ceive all  those  that  have  been  given  unto  my  servant  Joseph,  and 
who  are  virtuous  and  pure  before  me  ;  and  those  who  were  not  pure, 
and  have  said  they  were  pure,  shall  be  destroyed,  saith  the  Lord  God  ; 
for  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  ye  shall  obey  my  voice  ;  and  I  give 
unto  my  servant  Joseph  that  he  shall  be  made  ruler  over  many  things, 


234  NEW  LIGHT  ON  MORMONISM. 

for  be  hath  been  faithful  over  a  few  things,  and  from  henceforth  I 
will  strengthen  him. 

"XXI.  And  I  command  mine  handmaid  Emma  Smith  to  abide 
and  cleave  unto  my  servant  Joseph,  and  to  none  else.  But  if  sho 
will  not  abide  this  commandment  she  shall  be  destroyed,  saith  the 
Lord  ;  for  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  -will  destroy  her  if  she  abide 
not  in  my  law  ;  but  if  she  will  not  abide  this  commandment,  then 
shall  my  servant  Joseph  do  all  things  for  her,  even  as  he  hath  said  ; 
and  I  will  bless  him,  and  multiply  him,  and  give  unto  him  an  hun- 
dred-fold in  this  world  of  fathers  and  mothers,  brothers  and  sisters, 
houses  and  lands,  wives  and  children,  and  crowns  of  eternal  lives, 
in  the  eternal  worlds.  And  again,  verily  I  say  unto  my  handmaid, 
forgive  my  servant  Joseph  his  trespasses,  and  then  shall  she  be  for- 
given her  trespasses,  wherein  she  hath  trespassed  against  me,  and  I 
the  Lord  thy  God  will  bless  her  and  multiply  her,  and  make  her 
heart  to  rejoice. 

"  XXII.  And  again  I  say  unto  my  servant  Joseph,  put  his  prop- 
erty out  of  his  hands,  lest  an  enemy  come  and  destroy  him  ;  for 
Satan  seeketh  to  destroy  ;  for  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  he  is  my 
servant  ;  and  behold  !  and  lo,  I  am  with  him,  as  I  was  with  Abra- 
ham thy  father,  even  unto  his  exaltation  and  glory. 

"  XXIII.  Now,  as  touching  the  law  of  priesthood,  there  are  many 
things  pertaining  thereunto.  Verily,  if  a  man  be  called  of  my 
Father,  as  was  Aaron  by  mine  own  voice,  and  by  the  voice  of  Him  that 
sent  me  ;  and  I  have  endowed  him  with  the  keys  of  the  power  of 
this  priesthood,  if  he  do  anything  in  my  name,  and  according  to  my 
law,  and  by  my  word,  he  will  not  commit  sin,  and  I  will  justify  him. 
Let  no  one  therefore  set  on  my  servant  Joseph  ;  for  I  will  justify 
him  ;  for  he  shall  do  the  sacrifice  which  I  require  at  his  hands  for 
his  transgressions,  saith  the  Lord  your  God. 

"  XXIV.  And  again,  as  pertaining  to  the  law  of  the  priesthood  ;  if 
any  man  espouse  a  virgin,  and  desire  to  espouse  another,  and  the 
first  give  her  consent  ;  and  if  he  espouse  the  second,  and  they  are 
virgins,  and  have  vowed  to  no  other  man,  then  he  is  justified  ;  ho 
cannot  commit  adultery,  for  they  are  given  unto  him  ;  for  he  cannot 
commit  adultery  with  that  that  belongeth  unto  him,  and  no  one  else  ; 
and  if  he  have  ten  virgins  given  unto  him  by  this  law,  he  cannot  com- 
mit adultery,  for  they  belong  to  him,  and  they  are  given  unto  him, 
therefore  is  he  justified.  But  if  one  or  either  of  the  ten  virgins,  after 
she  is  espoused,  shall  be  with  another  man,  she  hath  committed  adul- 
tery, and  shall  be  destroyed  ;  for  they  are  given  to  him  to  multiply 
and  replenish  the  earth,  according  to  my  commandment,  and  to  ful- 


NEW  LIGHT  ON  MORMONISH.  235 

fil  the  promise  which  was  given  by  my  Father  before  the  foundation 
of  the  world,  and  for  their  exaltation  in  the  eternal  worlds,  that  they 
may  bear  the  souls  of  men  ;  for  herein  is  the  work  of  my  Father  that 
he  may  be  glorified. 

"  XXV.  And  again,  verily,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  if  any  man  have 
a  wife  who  holds  the  keys  of  this  power,  and  he  teaches  unto  her  the 
law  of  my  priesthood  as  pertaining  these  things,  then  shall  she 
believe,  and  administer  unto  him,  or  she  shall  be  destroyed,  saith 
the  Lord  your  God  ;  for  I  will  destroy  her  ;  for  I  will  magnify  my 
name  upon  all  those  who  receive  and  abide  in  my  law.  Therefore  it 
shall  be  lawful  in  me,  if  she  receive  not  this  law,  for  him  to  receive 
all  things  whatsoever  I,  the  Lord  his  God  will  give  unto  him,  be- 
cause she  did  not  administer  unto  him  according  to  my  word  ;  and 
she  then  becomes  the  transgressor  ;  and  he  is  exempt  from  the  law 
of  Sarah,  who  administered  unto  Abraham,  according  to  the  law, 
when  I  commanded  Abraham  to  take  Hagar  to  wife.  And  now,  as 
pertaining  to  this  law,  verily,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  I  will  reveal  more 
un-to  you  hereafter  ;  therefore  let  this  suffice  for  the  present.  Be- 
hold, I  am  Alpha  and  Omega.  Amen.' ' 


Elder  "W.  "W.  Plielps  said,  in  Salt  Lake  Tabernacle,  in 
1862,  that  while  Joseph  was  translating  the  "Book  of 
Abraham"  in  Kirtland,  Ohio,  in  1835,  from  the  papy- 
rus found  with  the  Egyptian  mummies,  the  Prophet  be- 
came impressed  with  the  idea  that  polgyamy  would  yet 
become  an  institution  in  the  Mormon  Church.  Brigham 
Young  was  present,  and  was  much  annoyed  at  the  state- 
ment made  by  Phelps  ;  but  it  is  highly  probable  that  it 
was  the  real  secret  which  was  then  divulged.  There 
cannot  be  a  doubt  that  Joseph  went  into  polygamy  at  a 
venture. 

The  following  extract  is  from  the  pen  of  an  unknown 
reviewer  of  a  bound  volume  of  "  The  True  Latter-Day 
Saints  Herald" — sold  with  other  books  relating  to  Mor- 
monism — the  ten  years'  gatherings  of  Charles  L.  Wood- 
ward, in  New  York,  January  19th,  1880. 


236  NEW  LIGHT   ON  MOKHONIS31. 

"  '  The  True  Latter-Day  Saints  Herald.'  Vols.  Ito  22,  8vo.  Vols.  1-16, 
bound  in  3  vols.  sheep.  Vols.  17-22  unbound,  uncut.  Cincin- 
nati, O.,  and  Piano,  111.,  18GO-1875,  $40. 

"  This  is  the  organ  of  Joseph  Smith,  the  son  of  the  Prophet,  who, 
trading  on  antipolygamy,  is  said  to  have  a  following  of  not  less  than 
thirty  thousand  fools,  known  as  '  Young  Josephites. '  Nothing  bet- 
ter proves  the  truth  of  the  old  saying  that '  a  lie  well  stuck  to  is  as 
good  as  the  truth, '  than  the  success  of  Joseph  II.  in  making  people 
believe  that  his  father  did  not  promulgate  the  polygamy  '  revelation.' 
Knowing  full  well  that  even  to-day  there  are  women  in  Utah  known 
by  hundreds  still  living  to  have  been  Joe's  '  plurals,'  but  relying 
upon  the  fact  that  the  witnesses  have  told  so  many  lies  that  they  can- 
not be  believed,  even  when  they  speak  the  truth,  he  calls  for  the  prog- 
eny, with  an  air  that  settles  it.  Fortunately — all  fortunately — Joe 
did  have  no  little  prophets  by  his  numerous  polygamous  wives. 
Only  by  religious  lunatics  would  this  fact  be  accepted  as  disproof  of 
marriage,  whether  to  one  or  one  hundred.  The  cry,  '  Show  us  the 
progeny,'  seems  to  be  regarded  by  Joseph  II.  and  his  addle-brained 
adherents  as  a  socdollager.  Joseph  I.  never  dared  openly  practise 
nor  advocate  polygamy.  Nor  did  any  of  the  Mormons  until  they  were 
safe  beyond  the  white  settlements." 


APPENDIX. 


[From  Berliner's  Monthly,  August,  1880.] 
No.  1. 

Mrs.  Matilda  Spauldlng  McKinstry's  Statement  Regarding  "  The  Manu- 
script Found." 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  April  3,  1880. 

So  much  has  been  published  that  is  erroneous  concerning  "  The 
Manuscript  Found,"  written  by  my  father,  the  Kev.  Solomon 
Spaulding,  and  its  supposed  connection  with  the  book  called  the 
Mormon  Bible,  I  have  willingly  consented  to  make  the  following  state- 
ment regarding  it,  repeating  all  that  I  remember  personally  of  Ihis 
manuscript,  and  all  that  is  of  importance  which  my  mother  related 
to  me  in  connection  with  it,  at  the  same  time  affirming  that  I  am  in 
tolerable  health  and  vigor,  and  that  my  memory,  in  common  with 
elderly  people,  is  clearer  in  regard  to  the  events  of  my  earlier  years 
rather  than  those  of  my  maturer  life. 

During  the  war  of  1812  I  was  residing  with  my  parents  in  a  little 
town  in  Ohio  called  Conneaut.  I  was  then  in  my  sixth  year.  My 
father  was  in  business  there,  and  I  remember  his  iron  foundry  and 
the  men  he  had  at  work,  but  that  he  remained  at  home  most  of  the 
time,  and  was  reading  and  writing  a  great  deal.  He  frequently  wrote 
little  stories,  which  he  read  to  me.  There  were  some  round  mounds 
of  earth  near  our  house  which  greatly  interested  him,  and  he  said  a 
tree  on  the  top  of  one  of  them  was  a  thousand  years  old.  He  set 
some  of  his  men  to  work  digging  into  one  of  these  mounds,  and  I 
vividly  remember  how  excited  he  became  when  he  heard  that  they 
had  exhumed  some  human  bones,  portions  of  gigantic  skeletons,  and 
various  relics.  He  talked  with  my  mother  of  these  discoveries  in  the 
mound,  and  was  writing  every  day  as  the  work  progressed.  After- 
ward he  read  the  manuscript  which  I  had  seen  him  writing,  to  the 
neighbors,  and  to  a  clergyman,  a  friend  of  his  who  came  to  see  him. 


238  APPENDIX. 

Some  of  the  names  that  he  mentioned  while  reading  to  these  people  I 
have  never  forgotten.  They  are  as  fresh  to  me  to-day  as  though  I 
heard  them  yesterday.  They  were  "  Mormon,"  "  Maroni,"  "  Lam- 
enite,"  "Nephi." 

We  removed  from  Conneaut  to  Pittsburg  while  I  was  still  very 
young,  but  every  circumstance  of  this  removal  is  distinct  in  my  mem- 
ory. In  that  city  my  father  had  an  intimate  friend  named  Patterson, 
and  I  frequently  visited  Mr.  Patterson's  library  with  him,  and  heard 
my  father  talk  about  books  with  him.  In  181G  my  father  died  at 
Amity,  Penn.,  and  directly  after  his  death  my  mother  and  myself 
went  to  visit  at  the  residence  of  my  mother's  brother,  William  H. 
Sabine,  at  Onondaga  Valley,  Onondaga  Co.,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Sabine 
was  a  lawyer  of  distinction  and  wealth,  and  greatly  respected.  We 
carried  all  our  personal  effects  with  us,  and  one  of  these  was  an 
old  trunk,  in  which  my  mother  had  placed  all  my  father's  writings 
which  had  been  preserved.  I  perfectly  remember  the  appearance  of 
this  trunk,  and  of  looking  at  its  contents.  There  were  sermons  and 
other  papers,  and  I  saw  a  manuscript  about  an  inch  thick,  closely 
written,  tied  with  some  of  the  stories  my  father  had  written  for  me, 
one  of  which  he  called  "  The  Frogs  of  Wyndham."  On  the  outside 
of  this  manuscript  were  written  the  words,  "Manuscript  Found." 
I  did  not  read  it,  but  looked  through  it,  and  had  it  in  my  hands  many 
times,  and  saw  the  names  I  had  heard  at  Conneaut,  when  my  father 
read  it  to  his  friends.  I  was  about  eleven  years  of  age  at  this  time. 

After  we  had  been  at  my  iincle's  for  some  time  my  mother  left  me 
there  and  went  to  her  father's  house  at  Pomfret,  Conn.,  but  did  not 
take  her  furniture  nor  the  old  trunk  of  manuscripts  with  her.  In 
1820  she  married  Mr.  Davison,  of  Hartwicks,  a  village  near  Coo- 
perstown,  N.  Y.,  and  sent  for  the  things  she  had  left  at  Onondaga 
Valley,  and  I  remember  that  the  old  trunk,  with  its  contents,  reached 
her  in  safety.  In  1828  I  was  married  to  Dr.  A.  McKinstry,  of  Mon- 
son,  Hampden  Co.,  Mass.,  and  went  there  to  reside.  Very  soon 
after  my  mother  joined  me  there,  and  was  with  me  most  of  the  time 
until  her  death,  in  1844.  We  heard,  not  long  after  she  came  to  livo 
with  me — I  do  not  remember  just  how  long — something  of  Mormon- 
ism,  and  the  report  that  it  had  been  taken  from  my  father's  "  Manu- 
script Found  ;' '  and  then  came  to  us  direct  an  account  of  the  Mor- 
mon meeting  at  Conneaut,  Ohio,  and  that,  on  one  occasion,  when 
the  Mormon  Bible  was  read  there  in  public,  my  father's  brother, 
John  Spaulding,  Mr.  Lake,  and  many  other  persons  who  were  pres- 
ent, at  once  recognized  its  similarity  to  "  The  Manuscript  Found," 
which  they  had  heard  read  years  before  by  my  father  in  the  same 


APPENDIX.  239 

town.  There  wag  a  great  deal  of  talk  and  a  great  deal  published  at 
this  time  about  Mormonism  all  over  the  country.  I  believe  it  was  in 
1834  that  a  man  named  Hurlburt  came  to  my  house  at  Monson  to  see 
my  brother,  who  told  us  that  he  had  been  sent  by  a  committee  to 
procure  "  The  Manuscript  Found,"  written  by  the  Rev.  Solomon 
Spaulding,  so  as  to  compare  it  with  the  Mormon  Bible.  He  pre- 
sented a  letter  to  my  mother  from  my  uncle,  "William  H.  Sabine,  of 
Onondaga  Valley,  in  which  he  requested  her  to  loan  this  manuscript 
to  Hurlburt,  as  he  (my  uncle)  was  desirous  "  to  uproot"  (as  he  ex- 
pressed it)  "  this  Mormon  fraud."  Hurlburt  represented  that  he  had 
been  a  convert  to  Mormonism,  but  had  given  it  up,  and  through 
"  The  Manuscript  Found "  wished  to  expose  its  wickedness.  My 
mother  was  careful  to  have  me  with  her  in  all  the  conversations  she 
Lad  with  Hurlburt,  who  spent  a  day  at  my  house.  She  did  not  like 
his  appearance,  and  mistrusted  his  motives  ;  but  having  great  respect 
for  her  brother's  wishes  and  opinions,  she  reluctantly  consented  to 
his  request.  The  old  trunk,  containing  the  desired  "  Manuscript 
Found,"  she  had  placed  in  the  care  of  Mr.  Jerome  Clark,  of  Hart- 
wicks,  when  she  came  to  Monson,  intending  to  send  for  it.  On  the 
repeated  promise  of  Hurlburt  to  return  the  manuscript  to  us,  she  gave 
him  a  letter  to  Mr.  Clark  to  open  the  trunk  and  deliver  it  to  him. 
We  afterward  heard  that  he  did  receive  it  from  Mr.  Clark  at  Hart- 
wicks,  but  from  that  time  .we  have  never  had  it  in  our  possession, 
and  I  have  no  present  knowledge  of  its  existence,  Hurlburt  never  re- 
turning it  or  answering  letters  requesting  him  to  do  so.  Two  years 
ago  I  heard  he  was  still  living  in  Ohio,  and  with  my  consent  he  was 
asked  for  "The  Manuscript  Found."  He  made  no  response,  al- 
though we  have  evidence  that  he  received  the  letter  containing  the 
request.  So  far  I  have  stated  facts  within  my  own  knowledge.  My 
mother  mentioned  many  other  circumstances  to  me  in  connection 
with  this  subject  which  are  interesting,  of  my  father's  literary  tastes, 
his  fine  education,  and  peculiar  temperament.  She  stated  to  me  that 
she  had  heard  the  manuscript  alluded  to  read  by  my  father,  was 
familiar  with  its  contents,  and  she  deeply  regretted  that  her  husband, 
as  she  believed,  had  innocently  been  the  means  of  furnishing  matter 
for  a  religious  delusion.  She  said  that  my  father  loaned  this  "  Man- 
uscript Found  "  to  Mr.  Patterson,  of  Pittsburg,  and  that,  when  he 
returned  it  to  my  father,  he  said  :  "  Polish  it  up,  finish  it,  and  you 
will  make  money  out  of  it. "  My  mother  confirmed  my  remembrances 
of  my  father's  fondness  for  history,  and  told  me  of  his  frequent  con- 
versations regarding  a  theory  which  he  had  of  a  prehistoric  race 
which  had  inhabited  this  continent,  etc.,  all  showing  that  his  mind 


240  APPENDIX. 

dwelt  on  this  subject.  "  The  Manuscript  Found,"  she  said,  was  a 
romance  written  in  biblical  style,  and  that  while  she  heard  it  read 
she  had  no  especial  admiration  for  it  more  than  for  other  romances 
he  wrote  and  read  to  her.  We  never,  either  of  us,  ever  saw,  or  in 
any  way  communicated  with  the  Mormons,  save  Hurlburt,  as  above 
described  ;  and  while  we  had  no  personal  knowledge  that  the  Mormon 
Bible  was  taken  from  "  The  Manuscript  Found,"  there  were  many 
evidences  to  us  that  it  was,  and  that  Hurlburt  and  others  at  the  time 
thought  so.  A  convincing  proof  to  us  of  this  belief  was  that  my 
uncle,  William  H.  Sabine,  had  undoubtedly  read  the  manuscript 
while  it  was  in  his  house,  and  his  faith  that  its  production  would 
show  to  the  world  that  the  Mormon  Bible  had  been  taken  from  it,  or 
was  the  same  with  slight  alterations.  I  have  frequently  answered 
questions  which  have  been  asked  me  by  different  persons  regarding 
"  The  Manuscript  Found,"  but  until  now  have  never  made  a  state- 
ment at  length  for  publication. 

(Signed)  M.  S.  McKiNSTRY. 

Sworn  and  subscribed  to  before  me  this  3d  day  of  April,  A.D.  1880, 
at  the  city  of  Washington,  D.  C. 

CHARLES  WALTER,  Notary  Public. 

No.  2. 

Letter  from  Joseph  Miller,  of  Amity,  Penn. 

TEN  MILE,  PA.,  February  13,  1882. 
MRS.  ELLEN  E.  DICKINSON  : 

I  rec.  yours  of  the  1st  of  Feb.,  contents  duly  noted  you  state  you 
wished  to  get  all  the  information  in  my  possession  in  regard  to  Sol- 
omon Spaulding.  I  knew  the  man  very  well,  was  intimately  ac- 
quainted often  heard  him  read  from  what  he  called  his  MS.,  he  came 
to  our  house  and  wanted  me  to  go  with  him  and  bail  him  for  50 
Dollars  as  he  needed  the  money  and  while  on  the  road  he  told  some 
of  his  history,  he  said  while  living  in  Ohio  he  lost  his  health  and  in 
looking  over  the  Country  where  he  lived  he  discovered  some  mounds, 
they  appeared  to  be  the  work  of  an  ancient  race  of  people  and  he 
concluded  he  would  write  their  history  or  a  fictitious  novel  of  the 
people  that  built  the  mounds,  after  living  there,  he  told  me  he 
moved  to  Pittsburg  and  while  there  he  applied  to  Mr.  Patterson  to 
have  his  novel  printed  for  the  purpose  as  he  stated  to  help  him  take 
care  of  his  family.  Patterson  said  he,  Patterson  would  publish  it,  if 
he,  Spaulding,  would  write  a  title  page.  He  told  me  he  kept  a  little 
store  in  Pittsburg,  he  then  moved  to  Amity,  leaving  a  coppy  of  tlis 


APPENDIX.  241 

manuscript  in  Patterson's  hands,  after  being  at  Amity  some  time  he 
•went  back  to  Pittsburg  took  his  title  page  he  called  it  the  lost 
manuscript  found  when  he  went  to  Pittsburgh  the  manuscript  could 
not  be  found,  he  said  there  was  or  had  been  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Sidney  Eigdon  had  stole  it,  Spaulding  did  not  die  at  my  house  as 
you  have  it  but  died  at  a  house  he  had  rented  in  Amity  and  kept  as 
a  Public  house  or  tavern,  he  was  a  man  fully  six  feet  high  rather 
stooped  forward  a  little  of  sober  visage,  very  reserved  in  conversa- 
tion and  very  candid  apparently  in  all  his  dealings  and  I  think  a 
very  good  man,  it  used  to  be  very  common  at  that  day  for  to  gather 
in  at  the  Public  house  in  the  evenings  and  often  Mr.  Spaulding 
would  read  from  his  MS.  to  entertain  us.  I  had  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon in  my  house  for  about  six  months  for  the  purpose  of  com- 
paring it  with  my  recollection  of  the  Lost  Manuscript  found," 
and  I  unhesitatingly  say  that  a  great  part  of  the  historical  part  of  the 
Book  of  Mormon  is  identical  with  the  MS.  and  I  fully  believe 
that  the  MS.  is  the  foundation  of  the  whole  concern. 
Yours  truly 

JOSEPH  MTLLEE. 
TEN  MTT/R  WASHINGTON  Co.  PA. 
To  MBS.  ELLEN  E.  DICKINSON. 

No.  3. 
Mrs.  Ann  Treadwell  Redfield's  Statement. 

SYRACUSE,  June  17,  1880. 

In  the  year  1818  I  was  principal  of  the  Onondaga  Valley  Academy, 
and  resided  in  the  house  of  William  H.  Sabine,  Esq.  I  remember 
Mrs.  Spaulding,  Mr.  Sabine's  sister,  perfectly,  and  of  hearing  her  and 
the  family  talk  of  a  manuscript  in  her  possession,  which  her  hus- 
band, the  Eev.  Mr.  Spaulding,  had  written  somewhere  in  the  West. 
I  did  not  read  the  manuscript,  but  its  substance  was  so  often  men- 
tioned, and  the  peculiarity  of  the  story,  that  years  afterward,  when  the 
Mormon  Bible  was  published,  I  procured  a  copy,  and  at  once  recog- 
nized the  resemblance  between  it  and  Mrs.  Spaulding' s  account  of 
"  The  Manuscript  Found."  I  remember  also  to  have  heard  Mr. 
Sabine  talk  of  the  romance,  and  that  he  and  Mrs.  Spaulding  said  it 
had  been  vnritten  in  the  leisure  hours  of  an  invalid,  who  read  it  to 
his  neighbors  for  their  amusement. 

Mrs.  Spaulding  believed  that  Sidney  Eigdon  had  copied  the  man- 
uscript while  it  was  in  Patterson's  printing-office,  in  Pittsburg. 


242  APPENDIX. 

She  spoke  of  it  with  regret.     I  never  saw  her  after  her  marriage  to 
Mr.  Davison,  of  Hartwick.  ANN  TEKADWELL  EEDFIELD. 

No.  4. 
Statement  of  John  Spaulding. 

Solomon  Spanlding  was  born  in  Ashford,  Conn.,  in  1761,  and  in 
early  life  contracted  a  taste  for  literary  pursuits.  After  he  left  school 
he  entered  Plainfield  Academy,  where  he  made  great  proficiency  in 
study,  and  excelled  most  of  his  classmates.  He  next  commenced 
the  study  of  law,  in  which  he  made  little  progress,  having  in  the 
mean  time  turned  his  attention  to  religious  subjects.  He  soon  after 
entered  Dartmouth  College,  with  the  intention  of  qualifying  himself 
for  the  ministry,  where  he  obtained  the  degree  of  A.M.,  and  was 
afterward  regularly  ordained. 

After  preaching  three  or  four  years  ho  gave  it  up,  and  removed 
to  Cherry  Valley,  N.  Y.,  and  commenced  the  mercantile  business, 
in  company  with  his  brother  Josiah.  In  a  few  years  he  failed  in 
business,  and  removed  to  Conneaut,  Ohio,  in  1809.  The  year  follow- 
ing I  removed  to  Ohio,  and  found  him  engaged  in  building  a  forge. 
I  made  him  a  visit  three  years  after,  and  found  he  had  failed,  and  was 
considerably  involved  in  debt.  He  told  me  he  had  been  writing  a 
book,  which  he  hoped  to  have  printed,  the  avails  of  which  he 
thought  would  enable  him  to  pay  all  his  debts.  The  book  was  en- 
titled "  Manuscript  Found,"  of  which  he  read  to  me  many  passages. 
It  was  an  historical  romance  of  the  first  settlers  of  Americans,  en- 
deavoring to  show  that  the  American  Indians  are  descended  from 
the  Jews,  or  the  lost  tribes.  It  gave  a  detailed  account  of  their 
jotirney  from  Jerusalem  by  land  and  sea,  till  they  arrived  in  America 
under  the  command  of  Nephi  and  Levi.  They  afterward  had  con- 
tentions and  quarrels,  and  separated  into  two  distinct  nations,  one 
of  which  he  denominated  Nephites,  and  the  other  Lamanites.  Cruel 
and  bloody  wars  ensued,  in  which  great  multitudes  were  slain.  They 
buried  their  dead  in  large  heaps,  which  caused  the  mounds  so  com- 
mon in  this  country.  Their  arts,  sciences,  and  civilization  were 
brought  into  view,  in  order  to  account  for  all  the  curious  antiquities 
found  in  various  parts  of  North  and  South  America.  I  have  recently 
read  the  "  Book  of  Mormon,"  and  to  my  great  surprise  I  find  nearly 
the  same  historical  matter,  names,  and  so,  as  they  were  in  my 
brother's  writings.  I  well  remember  that  he  wrote  in  the  old  style, 
and  commenced  about  every  sentence  with  "  And  it  came  to  pass," 
or  "  Now  it  came  to  pass,"  the  same  as  in  the  "  Book  of  Mormon  ;" 


APPENDIX.  243 

and  according  to  the  best  of  my  recollection  and  belief,  it  is  the 
same  as  my  brother  Solomon  wrote,  with  the  exception  of  the  relig- 
ious matter.  By  what  means  it  has  fallen  into  the  hands  of  Joseph 
Smith,  Jr.,  I  am  unable  to  determine.  JOHN  SPATJLDING. 

No.  5. 

Henry  Lake's  Statement. 
CONNEATJT,  ASHTABULA  Co.,  OHIO,  September,  1883. 

I  left  the  State  of  New  York  late  in  the  year  1810,  and  arrived  in 
this  place  about  the  1st  of  January  following.  Soon  after  my  arrival 
I  formed  a  copartnership  with  Solomon  Spaulding,  for  the  purpose 
of  rebuilding  a  forge,  which  he  had  commenced  a  year  or  two  before, 
lie  frequently  read  to  me  from  a  manuscript  which  he  was  writing, 
and  which  he  entitled  "  Manuscript  Found,"  which  he  represented 
as  being  found  in  this  town.  I  spent  many  hours  in  hearing  him 
read  said  writings,  and  became  well  acquainted  with  its  contents. 
He  wished  me  to  assist  him  in  getting  it  printed,  alleging  that  a  book 
of  that  kind  would  meet  with  a  ready  sale.  This  book  represented 
the  American  Indians  as  the  lost  tribes,  gave  an  account  of  their 
leaving  Jerusalem,  their  contentions  and  wars,  which  were  many  and 
great.  One  time,  when  he  was  reading  to  me  the  tragic  account  of 
Laban,  I  pointed  out  to  him  what  I  considered  an  inconsistency, 
which  he  promised  to  correct  ;  but  by  referring  to  the  "  Book  of  Mor- 
mon," I  find,  to  my  surprise,  it  stands  there  just  as  he  read  it  to  me 
then.  Some  months  ago  I  borrowed  a  Golden  Bible,  put  it  in  my 
pocket,  and  carried  it  home,  and  thought  no  more  of  it.  About  a 
week  after  my  wife  found  the  book  in  my  coat  pocket  as  it  hung  up, 
and  commenced  reading  it  aloud  as  I  lay  on  the  bed.  She  had  not 
read  twenty  minutes  before  I  was  astonished  to  fkid  the  same  pas- 
sages in  it  that  Spaulding  had  read  to  me  more  than  twenty  years  be- 
fore from  his  "  Manuscript  Found."  Since  that  I  have  more  fully  ex- 
amined the  said  Golden  Bible,  and  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that 
the  historical  part  of  it  is  principally,  if  not  wholly,  taken  from  "  The 
Manuscript  Found."  I  well  recollect  telling  Mr.  Spaulding  that  the 
so  frequent  use  of  the  words,  "And  it  came  to  pass,"  "  Now  it  came 
to  pass,"  rendered  it  ridiculous. 

Spaulding  left  here  in  1812,  and  I  furnished  him  with  the  means 
to  carry  him  to  Pittsburg,  where  he  said  he  would  get  the  book 
printed  and  pay  me.  But  I  never  heard  any  more  from  him  or  his 
writings,  till  I  saw  them  in  the  "  Book  of  Mormon." 

(Signed)  HENEY  LAKE. 


244  APPENDIX. 


Copy  of  George  Clark's  Letters. 

FIBST    LETTER. 

SONOMA,  CALTFOBNIA,  December  30,  1880. 
MBS.  ELLEN  E.  DICKINSON. 

DEAB  MADAM  :  Your  letters  of  December  13th  and  16th  came  to 
hand  yesterday.  I  remember  very  well  that  Mrs.  Davison  spent  a 
winter  at  my  father's  house,  nearly,  if  not  quite,  fifty  years  ago.  I 
think  she  left  our  house  in  the  spring  or  summer  after  to  go  to  Massa- 
chusetts. Some  time  after  (perhaps  one  or  two  years)  she  wrote  to 
my  father  to  sell  her  effects,  consisting  of  an  old  bureau,  feather  bed, 
and  linen,  and  remit  to  her  the  proceeds,  which  he  did.  The  old 
trunk  still  remained  in  the  garret  when  I  sold  the  farm,  and  was 
given  away,  to  whom  I  do  not  remember.  It  was  an  old  rickety, 
moth-eaten  hair  trunk,  and  entirely  worthless.  There  was  nothing 
whatever  in  it.  My  wife  remembers  that  Mrs.  Davison  gave  her  the 
manuscript  to  read  during  her  stay  with  us,  and  that  she  read  a  part 
of  it  and  returned  it  to  Mrs.  D. ;  also  that  Mrs.  Davison  told  her  that 
it  was  written  by  Mr.  Spaulding  as  a  pastime  to  while  away  the  days 
of  sickness.  My  father  died  January  7th,  1864  ;  my  mother  about 
thirty  years  since.  Regretting  that  I  cannot  give  you  a  more  satis- 
factory answer,  I  remain  respectfully  yours, 

GEOBGE  CLAEK. 

SECOND   LETTEB. 

MBS.  ELLEN  E.  DICKINSON. 

DEAB  MADAM  :  Yours  of  January  10th  received.  My  wife  does  not 
remember  the  words  Mormon,  Maroni,  etc.,  nor  anything  else  of  the 
contents  of  the  manuscript  in  question.  She  remembers  perfectly 
that  it  looked  soiled  and  worn  on  the  outside.  She  thought  it  rather 
dry  reading,  and  after  reading  a  few  pages  laid  it  aside.  She  remem- 
bers perfectly  what  Mrs.  Davison  said  about  it  as  being  the  origin  of 
the  Mormon  Bible,  and  she  thought  it  would  die  out  in  a  few  years. 
My  wife  (then  Miss  Brace)  came  to  our  house  on  a  visit  in  1831,  and 
it  was  at  that  time  Mrs.  Davison  was  there.  Mrs.  Davison  left  our 
house  to  go  to  her  (adopted)  daughter's  in  Munson  in  the  spring  of 
that  year  (1831).  Mr.  .Sabine  was  an  uncle  of  my  mother's.  I  do 
not  remember  of  Mr.  Hurlburt's  being  at  our  house  at  any  time,  or  of 
his  sending  for  the  manuscript. 

Yours  respectfully, 
SONOMA,  CALTFOBNIA,  January  24,  1881.  GEOBGE  CLASS. 


APPENDIX.  245 

No.   7. 
Oscar  Kellogg' s  Statement. 

I  accompanied  Mrs.  Dickinson,  on  her  visit  to  D.  P.  Harlburt, 
at  his  residence  near  Gibsonburg,  Sandusky  Co.,  Ohio,  November 
13th,  1880,  and  was  present  at  the  entire  interview.  I  have  just 
heard  Mrs.  Dickinson's  narrative  of  that  interview  read.  I  think  it 
is  as  complete  and  truthful  as  could  be  written.  We  carefully  listened 
to  every  word  said,  and  watched  Mr.  Hurlburt's  countenance  and  ar- 
rived at  the  same  conclusion — that  Hurlburt  knows  more  than  he 
told.  O.  E.  KELLOGG. 

NOEWALK,  OHIO,  November  15,  1880. 


Hurlburt's  Statement. 

GIBSOKBUBG,  OHIO,  January  10,  1881. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern  :  In  the  year  eighteen  hundred  and 
thirty -four  (1834)  I  went  from  Geauga  Co.,  Ohio,  to  Munson,  Hamp- 
den  Co.,  Mass.,  where  I  found  Mrs.  Davison,  late  widow  of  the 
Eev.  Solomon  Spaulding,  late  of  Conneaut,  Ashtabula  Co.,  Ohio. 
Of  her  I  obtained  a  manuscript,  supposing  it  to  be  the  manuscript 
of  the  romance  written  by  the  said  Solomon  Spaulding,  called  "  The 
Manuscript  Found,"  which  was  reported  to  be  the  foundation  of 
the  "  Book  of  Mormon."  I  did  not  examine  the  manuscript  until  I 
got  home,  when,  upon  examination,  I  found  it  to  contain  nothing  of 
the  kind,  but  being  a  manuscript  upon  an  entirely  different  subject, 
This  manuscript  I  left  with  E.  D.  Howe,  of  Painesville,  Geauga 
Co.,  Ohio,  now  Lake  Co.,  Ohio,  with  the  understanding  that  when 
he  had  examined  it  he  should  return  it  to  the  widow.  Said  Howe 
says  the  manuscript  was  destroyed  by  fire,  and  further  the  depo- 
nent saith  not. 

(Signed)  D.  P.  HUELBUET, 

No.  9. 
Author's  Letter  from  Palmyra. 

EABLY   MOEMON   HAUNTS. 

PALMYBA,  WAYNE  Co.,  N.  Y.,  June,  1882. 

DEAS  EVANGELIST  :  As  is  pretty  widely  known,  this  remarkably 
active  and  pretty  town  is  connected  with  the  early  history  of  Mor- 
monism.  It  was  here  that  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  the  first  Prophet  of 


246  APPENDIX. 

the  "  Church  of  the  Latter-day  Saints,"  lived  when  he  was  ft  dull- 
eyed,  flaxen-haired  boy,  and  long  after  he  had  entered  upon  his 
"  mission"  and  received  "  the  golden  plates,"  whereon  was  written 
"  the  new  faith."  This  story  seems  but  a  legend  to  those  little  in- 
terested in  or  acquainted  with  the  facts — one  that  has  grown  into 
present  proportions  by  the  accretions  of  many  years.  But  not  so. 
A  little  way  up  the  main  street,  or  rather  in  a  side  street  leading 
from  the  principal  thoroughfare  of  the  town,  resides  John  H.  Gilbert 
(usually  called  Major  Gilbert),  a  venerable,  well-preserved  man  of 
eighty  odd  years,  who  in  his  youth  was  actively  employed  in  the 
type  setting  and  presswork  incident  to  the  issue  of  the  first  edition 
of  the  "  Book  of  Mormon."  He  allowed  the  writer  to  handle  a  copy 
of  this  edition,  which  he  has  carefully  preserved.  His  description 
of  the  manuscript  of  the  book,  brought  to  him  by  "  Hyrum"  (as  tha 
Smiths  spelled  this  name),  brother  of  Joseph,  is  very  interesting.  The 
major  got  up  from  his  chair,  and  taking  a  leaf  or  two  of  the  book 
(unbound),  he  showed  me  how  these  early  Mormons  guarded  their 
precious  "  translations  "  under  their  coats  from  a  civrious  and  iinbe- 
lieving  community,  day  by  day,  as  they  brought  it,  a  few  pages  at  a 
time,  to  be  printed.  The  spelling  and  grammar  were  defective  ;  and 
as  for  punctuation,  there  was  none.  The  major  pointed  out  these 
rather  uninspired  defects  to  the  scribes  employed  by  the  Prophet, 
and  he  assures  us  that  they  kindly  allowed  him  to  make  the  neces- 
sary alterations,  only,  however,  after  they  had  become  convinced  of 
the  necessity  of  something  approaching  literary  accuracy— a  matter 
not  at  all  apparent  to  them. 

A  large  number  of  modern  Mormons  have  visited  Major  Gilbert, 
to  whom  he  has  related  these  and  other  recollections  of  their  "  Golden 
Bible."  It  would  seem  that  they  must  leave  him  wiser  if  not  better 
men,  if  they  at  all  credit  his  very  clear  and  positive  statements,  his 
memory  and  judgment  being  as  yet  untouched  by  age. 

Mr.  Seth  W.  Chapman  owns  the  former  home  of  the  Smiths,  and 
the  land  they  cultivated  after  their  fashion.  It  is  two  or  three  miles 
out  of  Palmyra,  and  at  the  present  time  is  very  attractive  in  its  vernal 
beauty.  The  portion  of  the  present  farmhouse  which  was  once  the 
humble  dwelling  of  Joseph,  Sr.,  and  his  numerous  family  is  com- 
posed of  a  single  room  of  fair  dimensions,  over  a  cellar,  with  two 
small  garret  rooms  above.  Later,  and  after  the  sons  and  daughters 
were  grown,  a  small  bedroom  was  added  to  the  main  apartment. 
Here  the  Smiths  lived  for  twelve  years,  making  baskets  and  brooms, 
and  raising  vegetables,  when  they  were  not  peddling  beer  and  ginger- 
bread at  general  trainings,  or  robbing  hen-roosts  or  clothes-lines,  or 


APPENDIX.  247 

engaged  in  some  other  nocturnal  calling.  It  has  been  said  that  the 
Prophet  Joseph  once  returned  from  Nauvoo  to  view  the  place  where 
he  had  dwelt  before  he  became  rich  and  famous,  and  where  he  had 
taken  his  first  lessons  in  craft  and  dissimulation  ;  but  this  report  rests 
on  no  sufficient  basis.  The  present  race  of  Mormons  frequently  visit 
the  Chapman  farm — the  room  above  described,  and  the  field  now  so 
beautifully  green,  where  "the  diggers,"  as  they  were  called,  consist- 
ing of  a  band  of  genuine  vagabonds,  with  Joe  as  their  leader,  turned 
up  the  soil  to  find  gold.  Only  the  day  previous  to  the  visit  of  the 
writer,  James  H.  Hart,  a  Mormon  from  Bloomington,  Idaho,  had  in- 
spected the  premises.  He  circulated  a  pamphlet  in  the  interest  of 
the  "  Saints"  and  their  peculiar  institution,  polygamy,  during  his 
stay  in  Palmyra.  Mr.  Cannon,  son  of  the  well-known  Mormon  of 
that  name,  has  also  recently  visited  the  early  abiding-place  of  Joseph 
and  his  brethren. 

The  spot  where  the  famous  "  Peek  Stone"  was  discovered  on  the 
property  of  Clark  Chase,  in  the  year  1819,  is  now  marked  by  a  gray 
slab,  which  stands  close  to  a  well — the  well  which  was  being  dug  when 
this  white  stone,  in  the  shape  of  a  child' s  foot,  was  turned  up,  and 
appropriated  by  the  future  "  seer."  The  tradition  is  that  Joseph  ran 
home  across  lots,  some  two  miles,  to  show  his  mother  this  new  pos- 
session, which  was  like  most,  if  not  all,  of  his  later  possessions,  un- 
lawfully gained  ;  and  that  from  this  date  he  saw  wonders  through 
the  "Pecker,"  it  being  employed  by  himself,  and  perhaps  others 
in  the  neighborhood,  to  find  any  or  everything  they  desired.  The 
slight  elevation  where  Clark  Chase  resided,  and  for  whom  tho  well 
was  excavated,  is  now  bare  of  any  tenement,  the  former  dwelling 
having  been  either  burned  or  torn  down  a  long  time  ago.  Just  be- 
yond the  well,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  or  so,  is  the  "  Miner  Farm,"  on 
which  is  shown  a  cave,  or  excavation,  that  was  used  by  Smith  and 
his  close  followers  while  engaged  in  deciphering  the  golden  plates. 
It  was  originally  boarded  in.but  is  in  a  dilapidated  condition  at  pres- 
ent. The  same  family  own  this  farm  now  that  owned  it  in  Joe 
Smith's  time.  The  elder  members  have  passed  away,  but  the  pres- 
ent occupants  are  quite  familiar  with  the  events. 

"  Hill  Cmnmorah,"  a  conical  elevation  several  hundred  feet  in 
height,  and  which,  in  its  isolation  and  peculiar  shape,  bears  a  cer- 
tain resemblance  to  an  extinct  volcano,  is  also  of  special  interest. 
Just  where  Joseph  found  the  box  containing  the  golden  plates  is  not 
known  ;  but  it  was  somewhere  near  the  dizzy  top  of  this  hill,  that  an 
angel  was  standing  over  him  while  he  examined  the  contents.  An  old 
picture  represents  him  us  kneeling  on  tho  steep  incline  of  the  hill, 


248  APPENDIX. 

the  wind  blowing  his  long  hair  out  in  all  directions,  his  eyes  big 
•with  surprise,  and  the  placid,  winged  creature  above  him  in  a  cloud, 
but  not  so  dense  as  to  prevent  a  good  view  of  the  future  Prophet 
eagerly  taking  his  credentials  (which  had  been  buried  some  fourteen 
hundred  years)  from  the  cemented  chest — the  sword  of  Laban,  the 
Urim  and  Thumrnim  (or  spectacles),  and  the  golden  plates.  Out  of 
the  cloud  are  zigzags  of  lightning  playing  around  the  angel  and 
Joseph,  which  neither  appears  to  notice. 

The  "  Hill  Cnmmorah' '  is  three  miles  from  where  Joseph  lived  when 
this  remarkable  incident  occurred,  and  his  return  to  his  domicile 
must  have  been  a  weary  journey,  alter  the  excitement  consequent 
upon  such  a  distinction.  The  true  Mormon  of  to-day  venerates  this 
locality  as  a  sacred  spot,  and  travels  from  afar  to  see  its  quiet  but 
not  remarkable  beauty. 

The  farm  owned  by  Martin  Harris,  the  man  who  mortgaged  his 
property  to  print  the  "  Book  of  Mormon,"  is  in  an  opposite  direc- 
tion to  the  "  Hill "  from  Palmyra.  A  niece  of  Mrs.  Harris  resides  in 
the  town,  and  gives  interesting  remembrances  of  what  she  heard  in 
her  youth  of  the  Mormons.  It  is  but  just  to  say  that  this  lady  has 
a  more  exalted  estimation  of  the  character  of  her  relative  than  the 
world  in  general. 

Sidney  Kigdon,  the  real  instigator  and  brains  of  the  original  Mor- 
mon swindle  —  the  man  who  read  and  copied  the  romance  called 
"Manuscript  Found,"  written  by  the  Rev.  Solomon  Spaulding,  at 
Conneaut,  Ohio,  in  1812 — is  well  remembered  by  a  few  of  the  older 
residents  of  Palmyra.  It  was  Kigdon  who  preached  the  first  Mor- 
mon sermon  in  the  third  story  of  a  building,  in  what  is  now  called 
Exchange  Row.  He  introduced  himself  as  the  "  Messenger  of  God," 
to  the  very  few  people  who  attended  this  meeting,  telling  them  that 
the  Bible  and  the  "  Book  of  Mormon  "  should  be  equally  precious  to 
the  true  Christian.  His  "  sermon  "  was  not  agreeable  to  those  who 
heard  it,  or  the  Palinyrians  in  general,  and  he  did  not  repeat  it,  nor 
did  any  other  "Saint"  give  a  regular  discourse  there  afterward. 
He  might  have  fared  worse  if  his  audience  had  been  acquainted  with 
Mr.  Spaulding' s  romance,  which  he  had  plagiarized  so  freely,  and 
copied  verbatim  in  many  instances,  in  the  "  Book  "  which  he  intro- 
duced to  them. 


APPENDIX.  249 

No.  10. 

Statement  of  J.  W.  Gilbert,  sent  to  the  author  by  Hon.  Diedrlch  Villers,  Jr. , 
with  letter  from  the  Rev.  Diedrich  Villers,  and  statement  by  the  same. 
(Copy.) 

PALMYRA,  WAYNE  Co.,  N.  Y.,  December  29,  1880. 

DEAK  SIR  :  Although  I  was  the  principal  typesetter  of  the  first  Mor- 
mon Bible,  I  had  no  acquaintance  with  any  of  the  originators  of  this 
great  Immbug,  except  Martin  Harris.  Jo.  Smith  I  never  saw  but 
once.  If  you  see  fit  to  pay  me  a  visit  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  meet 
you  and  will  show  you  a  copy  of  the  original  edition  of  the  Mormon 
Bible  in  sheets  as  I  folded  them  from  the  press,  besides  a  great 
number  of  articles  cut  from  newspapers. 

I  am  in  my  seventy-ninth  year  and  in  good  health. 
Yours  truly, 

J.  H.  GILBERT. 
Hon.  DIEDRICH  VILLERS,  JR.,  VARICK. 

(VARICK)  FAYETTE  P.  O.,  SENECA  Co.,  N.  Y.,  January  19,  1882. 
DEAR  MADAM  :  Your  letter  of  the  7th  inst.  came  duly  to  hand.  I 
enclose  a  few  recollections  and  traditions  of  Mormonism  in  Seneca 
County,  with  a  copy  of  a  letter,  which  maybe  of  some  service  to  you. 
At  my  great  age  (eighty-four  years)  I  can  remember  but  little  of 
events  which  transpired  over  fifty  years  ago,  and  as  the  neighborhood 
in  which  Smith  conducted  his  operations  was  some  eight  or  nine 
miles  from  myxresidence,  I  was  not  even  at  that  time  much  conver- 
sant with  the  facts.  There  is  yet  living  in  this  county  (besides  Mr. 
Shiley,  to  whom  I  refer),  a  member  of  the  Schott  family,  closely  re- 
lated to  some  of  that  family  who  became  apostates  to  Mormonism. 

(Signed)  DIEDRICH  VILLERS. 

Rev.  Diedrich  Villers' s  Statement. 

RECOLLECTIONS    OF    THE    MORMONS   IN    SENECA    CO.,   N.   Y. 

I  infer  that  you  desire  information  as  to  the  early  history  of  Mor- 
monism in  Seneca  Co.,  N.  Y.,  more  than  fifty  years  ago,  when  the 
present  powerful  Mormon  organization  was  in  its  infancy,  and  its 
doctrines  advocated  hereabouts  by  Joseph  Smith  and  other  ad- 
venturers. 

I  will  give  you  such  data  as  occurs  to  me.  As  it  is  always  right  to 
give  to  every  one  his  due,  I  may  say  that  polygamy  was  unheard  of 
in  connection  with  Mormonism  in  those  days,  and  its  introduction 
was  left  to  a  later  day — by  Latter-Day  Saints. 


250  APPENDIX. 

"When  I  came  to  Seneca  County  as  pastor  of  a  number  of  congrega- 
tions of  the  (German)  Reformed  Church,  in  April,  1821,  I  found 
among  the  members  of  a  remote  congregation,  Zion's  Church  (after- 
ward known  as  Jerusalem  Church),  in  West  Fayette,  a  plain,  unas- 
suming farmer  of  the  name  Peter  Whitmer,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
of  the  class  of  settlers  known  as  Pennsylvania  Germans.  He  was  a 
quiet,  unpretending,  and  apparently  honest,  candid,  and  simple- 
minded  man.  On  the  fifth  day  of  April,  1822,  at  my  first  confirma- 
tion services  of  a  class  after  instruction  in  the  Heidelberg  Catechism, 
I  find  among  the  names  of  the  thirty-eight  young  persons  then  con- 
firmed by  me  those  of  John  Whitmer,  Christian  Whitmer,  and  Jacob 
"Whitmer.  My  recollection  is,  that  I  baptized  one  or  more  of  the 
Whitmer  family  as  adults,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  Reformed 
Church. 

I  may  state  here,  that  I  never  met  or  had  any  acquaintance  with 
Joseph  Smith,  Hiram  Page,  Cowdrey,  or  Sidney  Rigdon,  nor,  in  fact, 
with  any  of  the  persons  connected  with  them,  except  the  Whitmers 
and  the  Jolly  family.  I  am  informed  by  Mr.  Jacob  Shiley,  an  old 
gentleman,  aged  seventy-nine  years,  now  a  resident  of  Fayette  (who 
fifty  or  more  years  ago  occupied  a  farm  adjoining  the  residence  of 
the  Whitmers  and  Jollys),  that  the  five  persons  of  the  name  Whit- 
mer, whose  names  appear  in  the  "  Testimony  of  three  witnesses" 
and  the  "  Testimony  of  eight  witnesses,"  appearing  at  the  end  of 
the  Mormon  Bible,  to  wit  :  the  three  above-named,  Christian,  John, 
and  Jacob  Whitmer,  and  Peter  Whitmer,  Jr.,  and  David  Whitmer 
were  all  sons  of  Peter  Whitmer,  Sr. 

Hiram  Page,  who  is  described  to  me  as  an  itinerant  botanic  or  root 
doctor,  married  a  daughter  of  Peter  Whitmer.  It  was  said  at  the 
time  of  the  marriage  of  Page  to  Miss  Whitmer,  that  her  father  was 
opposed  to  the  marriage  until  convinced  by  Page  that  Miss  Whitmer 
was  consumptive,  and  that  he  (Page),  by  the  extraction  of  a  certain 
tooth,  the  location  of  which  he  alone  knew,  could  effect  a  cure.  As 
there  was  doubtless  a  previous  understanding  between  Page  and  the 
young  lady,  the  pretended  cure  was  reputed  to  have  been  effected 
through  Page's  agency,  and  the  marriage  took  place. 

One  of  the  sons  of  Mr.  Whitmer  (as  I  am  informed  by  Mr.  Shiley) 
married  a  Miss  Jolly,  whose  mother,  the  wife  of  William  Jolly,  of 
West  Fayette,  was  a  baptized  convert  to  Mormonism,  and  with  her 
husband  removed  with  the  Mormons  to  Ohio.  Mr.  Jolly,  however 
(as  Mr.  Shiley  informs  me),  declined  to  contribute  the  proceeds  of 
the  sale  of  his  property  to  the  common  stock  of  Mormonism,  and 
eventually  withdrew  from  them,  and  died  in  Ohio,  near  Cleveland. 


APPENDIX.  251 

Two  other  sons  of  Mr.  Whitmer  (as  Mr.  Shiley  informs  me)  married 
ladies  of  the  name  Schott,  of  West  Fayette,  near  Waterloo,  one  of 
whom  is  said  to  have  returned  to  Seneca  County  upon  the  death  of 
her  Imsband. 

My  informant  (Mr.  Shiley)  says  that  he  has  attended  the  services 
held  at  the  houses  of  Peter  Whitmer  and  William  Jolly,  and  heard, 
among  others  who  spoke  (or  preached),  Joseph  Smith,  Sidney  Big- 
don,  and  Hiram  Page.  The  baptisms  were  performed  by  immersion 
in  Thomas'  Creek  and  Kendig  Creek,  in  the  town  of  Fayette.  Mr. 
Jacob  Shiley  and  his  brother  George  Shiley,  also  still  living  in  West 
Fayette,  were  present,  and  witnessed  the  immersion  in  baptism  of 
Mrs.  William  Jolly.  When  it  became  known  to  me  that  Peter  Whit- 
mer and  his  family  were  becoming  the  dupes  of  Smith  and  his  co- 
workers,  I  called  upon  Mr.  Whitmer,  in  order  to  remonstrate  with 
him  and  to  warn  him  of  the  errors  and  delusions  and  the  false 
doctrines  promulgated  by  these  men.  My  conversation,  however, 
apparently  made  no  impression  upon  him,  his  only  reply  to  my  argu- 
ments being  the  repeated  quotation  in  the  German  language  of  the 
words  :  "  Jesus  Christ,  yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever." 

As  an  illustration,  to  show  how  easily  the  Whitmers  were  duped, 
it  is  related,  that  by  some  contrivance  of  Smith  and  his  associates  a 
wooden  image  or  representation  was  placed  in  a  tree  in  a  field  where 
one  of  Whitmer' s  sons  was  engaged  in  ploughing,  and  that  when  in- 
terrogated as  to  whether  he  had  not  seen  an  angel,  he  answered  in 
the  affirmative.  "  Then,"  said  Smith,  "  this  is  the  place  where  the 
'  Book  of  Mormon  '  must  be  completed,  since  the  angel  has  already 
appeared  eleven  times,  and  it  has  been  revealed  to  me  that  at  the 
place  of  the  twelfth  appearing  of  the  angel,  the  book  must  be  com- 
pleted." Hence  Whitmers',  in  West  Fayette,  became  the  resort  of 
Smith  and  his  fellow-impostors  during  the  progress  of  this  work. 

As  for  a  time  a  number  of  persons  besides  the  Whitmers  were  in- 
clined to  favor  the  Mormons,  I  preached  a  sermon  in  Zion's  (Je- 
rusalem) Church  on  June  13th,  1830,  from  the  text,  Galatians  1  : 8. 
So  far  as  I  know,  no  other  persons  in  that  vicinity  except  the 
Whitmers,  the  Jolly  family,  and  several  members  of  the  Schott 
family  became  adherents. 

A  history  of  Seneca  Co.,  N.  Y.,  published  in  1876  by  Everts,  En- 
sign &  Everts,  Philadelphia,  Penn.,  contains  some  reference  to 
Mormonism,  from  the  recollection  of  Hon.  Daniel  S.  Kendig,  still 
living  at  Waterloo,  who  was  born  in  Fayette  in  1802,  and  lived 
there  in  the  early  years  of  his  life.  French's  New  York  Gazetteer, 
published  by  K,  Pear.sall  Smith,  at  Syracuse,  New  York,  in  1860,  also 


253  APPENDIX. 

contained  some  data  concerning  Mormonism,  and  states  that  the 
first  Mormon  society  was  formed  in  the  town  of  Fayette,  Seneca 
County,  in  1830.  In  this  gazetteer  Martin  Harris  is  reported  to 
have  mortgaged  his  farm  to  defray  the  expense  of  printing  the  Mor- 
mon Bible.  It  was  generally  reported  hereabouts,  however,  that 
Peter  Whitmer  had  become  surety  for  paying  the  cost  of  printing 
this  Bible,  and  it  may  be  difficult  now  to  ascertain  the  exact  facts  in 
regard  thereto  ;  but  as  Smith  was  engaged  in  preparing  the  Bible 
for  publication  at  Whitmer's  house,  it  is  probable  that  Whitmer  also 
became  involved  in  the  expense  of  publication. 

It  is  conceded,  I  think,  that  when  Mr.  Whitmer  disposed  of  his 
property  in  this  county  he  contributed  what  remained  to  the  Mor- 
mon fund,  and  followed  the  fortunes  of  Mormonism.  The  edition 
printed  of  the  "  Book  of  Mormon"  was,  I  am  told,  three  thousand 
copies. 

I  have  a  copy  of  the  "  Book  of  Mormon,"  by  "  Joseph  Smith,  Jr., 
Author  and  Proprietor,"  bearing  the  imprint,  "Palmyra.  Printed 
by  E.  B.  Grandin  for  the  Author,  1830."  This  is  doubtless  one  of 
the  original  copies. 

The  price  of  the  Mormon  Bible  when  issued  was  said  to  have 
been  fixed  in  the  first  instance  at  $1.50  or  $1.75  per  copy  ;  as  the 
sale  at  that  price  was  very  slow,  the  price  was  reduced  from  time  to 
time  by  Smith,  under  instructions  from  "  the  angel  of  the  Lord," 
until  at  last  copies  were  offered,  I  have  been  told,  as  low  as  fifty 
cents  per  copy,  and  even  as  low  as  twenty-five  cents  each. 

There  is  yet  living  at  Palmyra,  N.  Y.,  an  octogenarian,  Mr.  J.  H. 
Gilbert,  who  set  type  upon  the  original  edition  of  the  Mormon  Bible. 

[I  have  taken  the  liberty  of  copying  for  your  confidential  informa- 
tion a  portion  of  a  letter  written  by  him  to  my  son,  Diedrich  Vil- 
lers,  Jr.,  who  has  taken  considerable  interest  in  collecting  early  local 
history  ;  and  should  you  wish  to  use  any  of  the  facts  therein  con- 
tained, he  will  doubtless  grant  permission,  should  you  write  to  him 
stating  generally  that  you  are  advised  that  he  possesses  certain  in- 
formation as  to  Mormonism.] 

No.  11. 

The  following  was  written  by  E.  Patterson,  of  the  Presbyterian  Banner, 
Piitsburq — an  extract  from  a  letter  written  to  him  by  Mr.  Rudolph,  in 
1881,  to  Mrs.  E.  E.  Dickinson. 

Mr.  Z.  Rudolph,  father  of  Mrs.  General  Garfield,  knew  Sidney 
P*igdon  very  well,  and  has  stated  that  during  the  winter  previous 


APPENDIX.  253 

to  the  appearance  of  the  "  Book  of  Mormon,"  Kigdon  was  in  the 
habit  of  spending  weeks  away  from  his  home,  going  no  one  knew 
where  ;  and  that  he  often  appeared  very  preoccupied,  and  would  in- 
dulge in  dreamy,  imaginative  talks,  which  puzzled  those  who  lis- 
tened. When  the  "  Bookrof  Mormon"  appeared,  and  Kigdon  joined 
in  the  advocacy  of  the  new  religion,  the  suspicion  was  at  once  aroused 
that  he  was  one  of  the  framers  of  the  new  doctrines,  and  probably 
was  not  ignorant  of  the  authorship  of  the  "  Book  of  Mormon." 

[Published  in  the  New  York  Evangelist,  December  23,  1880.] 

No.  12. 
Author  s  visit  at  Mentor,  Ohio. 

GENERAL  AND   MBS.   GABFIELD  IN  THEIK  FARM  HOME  AT  MENTOB,   OHIO. 

It  may  interest  the  readers  of  77(6  Evangelist  to  learn  something  of 
the  experience  of  one  of  its  contributors,  who  has  recently  received 
the  hospitality  of  the .  President-elect  in  his  farm-house  at  Mentor, 
Ohio,  without  betraying  the  spirit  of  his  kindliness  and  cordial  en- 
tertainment. 

The  writer  had  been  visiting  in  the  vicinity  of  Cleveland,  and  had 
heard  much  of  the  democratic  style  of  living  of  General  Garfield, 
but  was  quite  unprepared  for  the  reality.  Having  a  letter  of  intro- 
duction for  the  occasion,  and  another  in  my  possession,  written  for 
me  for  another  purpose  by  Dr.  Henry  M.  Field,  who  is  a  personal 
friend  of  General  Garfield,  the  way  was  made  easy  to  follow  a  natural 
desire  to  see  the  incoming  President  at  his  own  home,  as  well  as  to 
see  Mrs.  Garfield. 

Mentor  is  a  very  small  village,  twenty  miles  east  of  Cleveland  ;  and 
quite  at  the  west  end  of  its  one  long  street  is  the  plain  frame  house, 
painted  white,  which  is  destined  to  be  known  in  the  history  of  our 
country.  It  is  two  stories  high,  irregular  in  shape,  but  has  a  com- 
fortable, substantial  appearance.  Like  most  farm-houses,  it  is  near 
the  road,  for  convenience,  and  possibly  for  cheerfulness.  Driving 
toward  it  from  the  station,  the  contrast  between  this  unpretentious, 
simple  home  and  that  of  Washington,  at  Mount  Vernon,  was  very 
marked.  It  was  very  cold  and  snowing,  and  the  question  from  the 
driver  did  not  seem  impertinent,  "  How  long  will  you  be  here  ?"  as 
we  reached  the  side  steps  of  the  piazza.  The  reply,  "It  is  impos- 
sible for  me  to  say;  possibly  I  shall  not  remain  at  all,"  was  met 
with,  "  Oh,  yes,  you  will  ;  for  the  General  is  at  home,  and  they  are 
very  hospitable." 


254  APPENDIX. 

A  servant  maid  ushered  me  into  a  square  corridor,  heated  by  a 
large  stove,  where  the  furniture  made  it  apparent  that  it  is  a  kind  of 
general  reception-room  or  office.  A  tall  Dutch  clock  is  in  one  corner, 
which  looks  as  though  it  might  be  an  heirloom,  and  with  its  loud 
ticking  keeps  me  company  until  a  gentleman  entered,  whom  the 
writer  instantly  recognized,  from  his  resemblance  to  his  pictures,  as 
General  Garfield.  Let  me  pause  to  say  that  he  is  a  far  handsomer 
man  than  his  photographs  represent  him,  they  failing,  as  all  photo- 
graphs do,  to  catch  his  genial,  pleasant  expression.  His  height  is 
rather  above  the  medium,  figure  good,  rather  inclined  to  stoutness  ; 
his  hair  brown  and  full,  eyes  blue,  complexion  clear  and  fair,  and 
his  features  regular.  He  is,  in  short,  one  of  those  persons  we  call 
good-looking,  without  knowing  exactly  why,  as  it  is  the  whole  appear- 
ance that  impresses  one  favorably.  After  cordial  greetings,  and  the 
letters  referred  to  had  been  read,  the  General  went  up-stairs  and 
called  his  wife  "  to  come  down,  as  they  had  visitors." 

The  parlor  opening  to  the  right  from  the  corridor  is  a  large  square 
room,  with  an  open  fireplace,  and  two  long  windows.  The  wood- 
work is  oak,  varnished,  which  makes  a  pretty  contrast  with  the  white 
walls.  The  mantel  is  of  oak,  and  has  two  shelves  above  it,  which 
are  filled  with  vases  and  plaques.  To  one  side  of  the  fireplace  is  an 
open  cabinet,  also  of  oak,  that  is  filled  with  artistic  effects  and  books. 
The  floor  is  covered  with  matting,  over  which  large  Turkey  rugs 
are  laid.  There  is  a  piano,  low  easy-chairs,  window  draperies,  plenty 
of  books,  some  good  pictures,  and  an  entire  air  of  refinement  and 
tastefulness,  without  the  slightest  attempt  at  luxury.  Between  the 
windows  is  a  little  picture  of  some  purple  pansies  enclosed  in  a  gilt 
frame,  on  which  is  written  or  painted  a  verse  from  Whittier.  It  is 
the  recent  gift  of  a  Bay  State  girl.  This  apartment  is  one  of  thoso 
living-rooms  which  at  once  gives  a  visitor  the  impression  that  joyful, 
contented  hours  are  passed  in  it  ;  that  children's  voices  have  echoed 
within  its  walls,  and  bedtime  stories  have  been  told  beside  tho 
hearth  ;  that  books  have  been  read  by  the  shaded  lamp,  and  music 
has  added  its  charms  to  the  home  scene.  A  second  room  opens  from 
this  parlor,  a  pretty  room,  all  in  blue,  where  beside  the  east  window 
is  a  low  rocking-chair,  having  a  cover  made  of  dainty  patchwork.  16 
is  tho  bed-chamber  of  the  mother  of  the  President  elect,  who  shall 
be  introduced  to  the  reader  later  on. 

Mrs.  Garfield  at  once  responded  to  her  husband's  request,  and 
came  down  to  welcome  the  two  chance  visitors — the  writer  and  a 
member  of  Congress,  on  his  way  to  Washington  from  San  Francisco. 
An  invitation  was  immediately  given  to  remain  to  dinner,  and  soon 


APPENDIX.  255 

after  our  outer  garments  were  removed  a  bell  was  rung  in  the  hall. 
The  General  led  the  way  to  the  dining-room — a  bright,  cheerful 
room  with  an  open  fire.  The  table  was  long,  and  as  though  set  for 
several  persons,  and  the  table-service  was  plain,  but  tasteful — white 
porcelain,  flowered  with  green.  Oak  cabinets  with  glass  doors,  on 
either  side  of  the  fireplace,  displayed  an  abundance  of  handsome 
dishes,  glassware,  and  silver. 

Mrs.  Garfield  sat  at  one  end  of  the  long  table,  and  the  General  at 
the  other.  Two  elderly  ladies  came  in,  who  seated  themselves  one 
on  either  side  of  the  General,  whom  he  introduced  to  us  as  "  My 

mother  and  my  aunt,  Mrs. . "  The  elder  Mrs.  Garfield  is  a 

sweet-faced  old  lady,  who  resembles  her  distinguished  son,  and 
showing  in  every  look  her  pride  in  his  success.  She  is  contented  to 
be  an  elderly  person,  wearing  a  cap,  and  otherwise  evincing  her  ex- 
cellent sense  in  not  attempting  to  appear  young  by  the  accessories  of 

the  toilet.  Major  Swain,  the  General's  private  secretary  ;  Mr. , 

the  telegraph  operator  (who  resides  at  the  house)  ;  and  a  neighbor 
whom  they  called  "Doctor,"  with  the  guests  mentioned,  made  itp 
the  number  at  table — nine  in  all. 

The  dinner,  which  was  plain,  substantial,  and  well  cooked,  onco 
tinder  way  (the  host  and  hostess  helping  every  one),  the  General  at 
once  opened  a  very  pleasant  conversation,  and  told  anecdotes  with 
infinite  zest.  The  Western  gentleman  spoke  of  some  recent  political 
annoyances  in  San  Francisco,  the  Chinese,  the  Rev.  Starr  King's 
career  in  that  city,  etc.  ;  but  the  General  led  the  talk  back  to  some 
incidents  nearer  home  ;  told  us  that  his  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  was  settled  by  the  Mormon  of  whom  he  purchased  it  ; 
that  Mentor  was  the  first  place  where  the  Mormons  gathered  in  Ohio, 
and  that  the  wonderful  temple  they  built  at  Kirtland  is  only  two  or 
three  miles  from  his  house.  He  told  us  something  of  Joe  Smith,  and 
of  Rigdon  (a  Mormon  preacher),  of  whom  his  wife's  father  took  les- 
eons  in  Latin  and  Greek.  The  General  and  Mrs.  Garfield  both  dis- 
tinctly remembered  this  man,  who  abjured  his  faith  in  Joe  Smith 
and  became  a  wandering  expounder  of  the  doctrines  of  the  Disciples, 
or  Campbellites.  They  had  heard  him  preach,  and  considered  him 
a  man  of  ability  and  good  education.  He  informed  us  also  that  a 
good  many  Mormons  still  reside  in  that  neighborhood — believers  in 
the  "  Book  of  Mormon,"  but  not  in  polygamy.  Some  of  these  peo- 
ple are  very  old,  but  have  a  full  remembrance  of  the  early  excitement 
in  regard  to  Mormonism  and  Joe  Smith's  departviro  for  "  pastures 
new"  in  the  far  West. 

After  dessert,  with  tea  and  coffee,  but  no  wine,  wo  returned  to  the 


256  APPENDIX. 

parlor.  The  Doctor  reminded  the  General  that  the  next  clay  would 
be  his  birthday,  and  asked  Mrs.  Garfield,  senior,  how  old  he  would 
be.  She  turned  toward  her  son  with  a  beaming  smile,  and  re- 
sponded, "  He  will  be  forty-nine  years  old." 

"  Not  thirty-nine,  as  some  people  say,  mother?"  laughingly  asked 
the  General. 

"  I  think  I  ought  to  know,"  she  replied,  with  some  dignity. 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  the  Doctor  ;  "  sure  you  should  know."  He  then 
chatted  a  little,  said  something  about  eating  two  dinners,  having  his 
at  home  at  noon,  and  not  being  accustomed  to  Biich  fashionable 
hours  (between  one  and  two  o'clock),  and  made  his  familiar  adieu, 
being  evidently  an  intimate  of  the  family.  The  Western  gentleman 
also  soon  took  his  departure  ;  said  he  had  stopped  to  pay  his  re- 
spects to  the  General  and  Mrs.  Garfield,  and  must  catch  the  next 
train  for  the  East.  .  The  door  was  ajar  into  "  mother's  room,"  and 
the  old  lady  came  in  to  bring  some  papers  she  had  been  reading, 
asking  Mrs.  Garfield,  junior,  how  she  liked  one  or  two  articles  she 
pointed  out.  The  General  sat  down  in  a  low  seat  by  one  of  the  win- 
dows, and  while  chatting  was  interrupted  once  or  twice  by  his  clerk 
bearing  telegrams  for  his  inspection. 

Until  now  I  have  written  nothing  especial  of  Mrs.  Garfield,  the 
lady  of  the  White  House  for  the  next  four  years.  She  seems  slightly 
careworn  ;  is  of  medium  height  and  slender  figure  ;  has  dark,  wavy, 
brown  hair  ;  small,  regular  features,  and  dark  eyes.  She  is  evidently 
intelligent,  well  read,  and  a  decided  character.  I  could  readily 
believe  all  I  had  heard  as  to  her  care  for  her  five  children,  her  super- 
vision of  their  studies  and  personal  wants.  She  is  a  dignified 
woman,  kindly,  cordial,  and  utterly  void  of  the  airs  and  graces  of  a 
fashionable-society  woman,  which  she  might  have  become  in  her 
long  residence  in  Washington.  I  could  believe,  too,  in  what  is  said 
of  the  domestic  life  in  this  household,  the  happy  relations  between 
husband  and  wife,  and  the  beautiful  respect  and  honor  shown  to  the 
venerable  mother  of  the  President-elect.  Mrs.  Garfield  is  more  ret- 
icent than  the  General— quieter,  less  free  in  conversation,  but  pleas- 
ing. That  she  is  a  sensible  woman  was  proved  by  a  trifling  circum- 
stance. She  had  on  a  simple  morning  dress,  for  which  she  did  not 
once  apologize.  She  came  down  from  her  chamber  when  called,  and 
did  not  wait  to  make  a  toilet,  which  was  also  proof  of  her  excellent 
breeding. 

The  writer  wishes  she  could  remember  all  the  talk  of  the  hour — of 
the  joking  remark  of  the  General  that  his  wife  resembles  a  caricature  in 
an  illustrated  paper,  where  she  is  represented  as  ready  to  sweep  some 


APPENDIX.  257 

feminine  politicians  out  of  her  parlor,  who  are  teasing  the  new  Presi- 
dent for  office.  This  was  all  the  better,  that  the  lady  in  question  will 
not  have  her  picture  taken  by  ambitious  photographers.  The  General 
told,  too,  of  an  aged  man  in  his  vicinity,  Mr.  E.  D.  Howe,  who  was 
the  first  publisher  of  the  Cleveland  Herald,  in  1819,  and  sold  it  him- 
self, riding  on  horseback  to  deliver  it  ;  and  much  beside  of  interest. 

But  it  was  growing  darker,  and  snowing  still,  and  the  writer  sud- 
denly remembered  the  driver  (who  had  so  confidently  predicted  a 
prolonged  visit),  and  the  necessary  departure  by  the  afternoon  train. 
Accompanied  to  the  door  by  both  the  host  and  hostess,  the  General 
ran  ahead,  and  catching  up  a  broom  lying  on  the  piazza,  brushed 
aside  the  snowflakes  with  the  abandon  of  a  boy.  I  could  net  but 
remark  laughingly,  "  I  never  expected  a  President  of  the  United 
States  to  sweep  the  steps  for  me  ;  so  I  fancy  some  politicians  will 
feel  the  influence  o£  your  broom,  sir."  He  waved  the  broom  slightly 
as  he  replied,  "  Possibly,"  and  "  Good-by. " 

And  so  this  (to  mo)  raemorable  visit  to  Mentor  was  over,  and  some- 
thing in  the  past  to  recall  with  pleasure  ;  and  in  dwelling  upon  it 
afterward  in  my  journey,  and  upon  the  testimony  of  all  those  whom 
I  met  in  Ohio  who  have  a  personal  acquaintance  with  the  General 
and  Mrs.  Garfield,  I  could  come  to  but  one  conclusion  as  to  the  re- 
sult of  the  recent  Presidential  election — a  favorable  conclusion,  as 
you  may  imagine. 

I  may  add  that  I  heard  that  the  elder  Mrs.  Gajfield  is  to  go  to 
Washington  with  the  General  ;  and  she  will  be,  it  is  said,  the  first 
mother  of  a  President  who  has  resided  at  the  "White  House. 

MBS.  E.  E.  DICKINSON. 
NEW  YOKE,  December  10,  1880. 

No.  13. 
John  Spaulding's  statement.     (See  No.  4  in  the  Appendix.) 

[Published  in  Scribner's  Magazine  of  October,  1881.] 

No.  14. 
Hiram  Lake's  and  Lorin  Gould's  statemenis. 

COXNEAUT,  ASHTABULA  Co.,  OHIO,  December  23,  1880. 

I  am  sixty-nine  years  of  age,  and  have  lived  all  my  life  in  Conne- 

aut,   Ashtabula   Co.,    Ohio.     My  father,  Henry   Lake,  was    partner 

with  Solomon  Spaulding,  in  1811  and  1812,  in  a  forge  in  Conneaut 

(then  Salem).     About  1834,  when  I  was  about  twenty-three  years  of 


258  APPENDIX. 

age,  I  remember  that  there  was  a  great  excitement  concerning  Mor- 
monism  in  Conneaut.  My  father  read  the  "  Book  of  Mormon,"  or 
heard  it  read,  and  was  familiar  with  its  contents,  and  he  told  me  it 
was  unquestionably  derived  from  a  manuscript  written  by  his  former 
partner,  Solomon  Spaiilding,  called  "  Manuscript  Found  ;  or,  the  Lost 
Tribes."  I  believe  my  father,  about  this  time,  made  -an  affidavit  to 
the  same  effect,  which  was  published.  Since  1834  I  have  conversed 
with  Aaron  Wright,  John  N.  Miller,  and  Nathan  Howard,  old  resi- 
dents here,  now  deceased,  all  of  whom  aved  here  in  1811  and  1812, 
and  who  had  heard  Spaulding's  manuscript  read,  and  they  told  ma 
they  believed  the  "Book  of  Mormon"  was  derived  from  Spauld- 
ing's "  Manuscript  Found."  Some  or  all  these  persons  made  affi- 
davits to  this  effect,  which  were  published  in  a  book  called  "  Mor- 
monism  Unveiled,"  edited  by  E.  D.  Howe,  of  Painesville,  Ohio. 

HIKAM  LAKE. 

CONNEAUT,  ASHTABULA  Co.,  OHIO,  December  23,  1880. 
I  have  resided  in  the  neighborhood  of  Conneaut,  Ash  tabula  Co., 
Ohio,  sixty-six  years.  During  all  that  period  I  have  known  Hiram 
Lake,  whose  statement  [given  below],  dated  December  23d,  1880,  I 
have  read.  This  statement  I  believe  to  be  true.  I  was  acquainted 
with  Henry  Lake,  Aaron  Wright,  John  N.  Miller,  and  Nathan  Howard, 
the  persons  named  in  Hiram  Lake's  statement,  and  about  1834-35,  the 
time  of  the  excitement  concerning  Mormonism,  I  heard  them  all  say 
that  the  ' '  Book  of  Mormon  ' '  was  undoubtedly  taken  from  a  manu- 
script written  by  Solomon  Spaulding,  which  they  had  heard  Spauld- 
ing  read  in  1811  or  1812,  called  "  The  Manuscript  Found;  or,  the 
Lost  Tribes. "  LOBES  GOULD. 

No.  15. 

MONROE,  December  18,  1880. 
MES.  ELLEN  E.  DICKINSON  : 

Your  letter  of  the  6th  inst.  is  received,  but  I  fear  I  shall  be  unabla 
to  give  you  any  new  information  on  the  subject  of  your  inquiry.  My 
father  settled  in  Vermont  when  a  young  man,  where  he  remained 
until  1823,  when  he  came  to  this  country.  I  was  then  seventeen 
years  of  age.  His  brother  John  was  living  here,  the  first  and  only 
one  of  his  father's  family  whom  I  ever  saw.  Uncle  Solomon  left 
Salem  (as  it  was  then  called)  1814,  and  died  about  two  years  after. 
When  tha  Mormon  Bible  was  published  some  of  his  acquaintances 
recognized  in  it  much  which  they  were  quite  sure  they  had  heard 


APPENDIX.  359 

him  read  in  his  "  Manuscript  Found."  In  Henry  Howe's  "  History 
of  Ohio,"  page  285,  is  an  article  taken  from  a  work  published  by 
E.  D.  Howe,  called  a  "  History  of  Mormonisro,"  in  which  he  gives 
what  evidence  he  could  gather,  that  the  historical  part  of  the  ' '  Book 
of  Mormon  "  was  written  by  Solomon  Spaulding.  He  gives  the  tes- 
timony of  Uncle  John  Spaulding  and  Mr.  Henry  Lake. 

In  our  "  Spaulding  Memorial  "  is  a  letter  to  the  publisher  from 
Uncle  Josiah  Spaulding,  who  visited  his  brother,  and  gives  what  rec- 
ollections he  had  of  his  writings.  But  perhaps  you  have  the  book 
or  have  seen  it  ;  if  not,  and  you  wish  to  do  so,  I  think  you  can  obtain 
it  by  sending  to  Rev.  Samuel  J.  Spaulding,  Newburyport,  Mass. 

These  are  all  the  sources  of  knowledge  I  have  of  my  uncle's  writ- 
ings, and  doubtless  you  have  as  much  or  more.  There  will  probably 
never  be  any  new  light  gained  on  the  subject,  as  all  his  associates 
have  passed  away. 

MBS.  UBANIA  HAVILAND. 
SOUTH  RIDGE,  ASHTABULA  COUNTY,  OHIO. 

No.  16. 
Copied  by  Hurlburl's  permission. 

PAINESVILLE,  OHIO,  August  7,  1880. 

D.  P.  HUSLBUET. 

DEAK  SIK  :  Just  received  your  line,  calling  my  attention  to  an 
article  in  Scribner,  on  the  origin  of  that  old  Mormon  Bible.  Hardly 
a  year  passes  that  I  do  not  receive  more  or  less  inquiries,  some  of 
•which  seem  to  reflect  on  your  honesty  in  regard  to  the  manuscript 
obtained  from  that  wonderful  old  trunk,  that  was  all  explained  truth- 
fully in  the  book  I  published,  as  I  then  believed,  and  have  ever  since, 
that  Spaulding' s  "  Manuscript  Found"  was  never  found  or  received 
by  you  ;  I  have  no  manner  of  doubt,  but  altogether  a  different  manu- 
script on  a  very  different  subject.  It  was  in  my  possession  till  after 
the  publication  of  "  Mormonism  Unveiled,"  and  then  disappeared 
and  lost,  I  suppose,  by  fire.  I  suppose  this  is  all  I  need  say  on  that 
subject.  I  was  glad  to  hear  that  you  are  still  in  the  form.  I  am 
now  eighty-two  years  old,  enjoying  very  good  health.  Hoping  never 
to  hear  any  more  about  that  old  Mormon  imposition, 

Yours  very  truly, 

E.  D.  HOWE. 


260  APPENDIX. 

No.  17. 
Statement  of  D.  P.  HurTburi. 

GIBSONBURG,  OHIO,  August  19,  1879. 

I  visited  Mrs.  Matilda  (Spaulding)  Davison  at  Munson,  Mass.,  in 
1834,  and  never  saw  her  afterward.  I  then  received  from  her  a  man- 
uscript of  her  husband's,  which  I  did  not  read,  but  brought  home 
with  me,  and  immediately  gave  it  to  Mr.  E.  D.  Howe,  of  Painesvilla, 
Ohio,  who  was  then  engaged  in  preparing  his  book — "  Mormonism 
Unveiled."  I  do  not  know  whether  or  not  the  document  I  received 
from  Mrs.  Davison  was  Spaulding's  "  Manuscript  Found,' '  as  I  never 
read  it  entire,  and  it  convinced  me  that  it  was  not  the  Spaulding 
manuscript ;  but  whatever  it  was,  Mr.  Howe  received  it  under  the 
condition  on  which  I  took  it  from  Mrs.  Davison — to  compare  it  with 
the  "  Book  of  Mormon,"  and  then  return  it  to  her.  I  never  received 
any  other  manuscript  of  Spaulding's  from  Mrs.  Davison,  or  any  one 
else.  Of  that  manuscript  I  made  no  other  use  than  to  give  it,  with 
all  my  other  documents  connected  with  Mormonism,  to  Mr.  Howe. 
I  did  not  destroy  the  manuscript  nor  dispose  of  it  to  Joe  Smith,  or  to 
any  other  person.  No  promise  was  made  by  me  to  Mrs.  Davison  that 
she  should  receive  any  portion  of  profits  arising  from  the  publication 
of  the  manuscript,  if  it  should  be  published.  All  the  affidavits  pro- 
cured by  me  for  Mr.  Howe's  book,  including  all  those  from  Palmyra, 

N.  Y.,  were  certainly  genuine. 

D.  P.  HUKLBUBT. 

No.  18. 
Mr.  Thurlow  Weed's  statement. 

NEW  YORK,  April  12,  1880. 

In  1825,  when  I  was  publishing  the  Rochester  Telegraph,  a  man  in- 
troduced himself  to  me  as  Joseph  Smith,  of  Palmyra,  N.  Y.,  whose 
object,  he  said,  was  to  get  a  book  published.  He  then  stated  he  had 
been  guided  by  a  vision  to  a  spot  he  described,  where,  in  a  cavern, 
he  found  what  he  called  a  golden  Bible.  It  consisted  of  a  tablet, 
which  ha  placed  in  his  hat,  and  from  which  he  proceeded  to  read 
the  first  chapter  of  the  "  Book  of  Mormon." 

I  listened  until  I  became  weary  of  what  seemed  to  me  an  incom- 
prehensible jargon.  I  then  told  him  I  was  only  publishing  a  news- 
paper, and  that  he  would  have  to  go  to  a  book  publisher,  suggesting 
a  friend  who  was  in  that  business.  A  few  days  afterward  Smith 
called  again,  bringing  a  substantial  farmer  with  him,  named  Hams. 


APPENDIX.  261 

Smith  renewed  his  request  that  I  should  print  his  book,  adding  that 
it  was  a  divine  revelation,  and  would  be  accepted,  and  that  he  would 
be  accepted  by  the  world  as  a  prophet.  Supposing  that  I  had  doubts 
as  to  his  being  able  to  pay  for  the  publishing,  Mr.  Harris,  who  was  a 
convert,  offered  to  be  his  security  for  payment.  Meantime  I  had 
discovered  that  Smith  was  a  shrewd,  scheming  fellow,  who  passed  his 
time  at  taverns  and  stores  in  Palmyra,  without  business,  and  appar- 
ently without  visible  means  of  support.  He  seemed  about  thirty 
years  of  age,  was  compactly  built,  about  five-  feet  eight  inches  in 
height,  had  regular  features,  and  would  impress  one  favorably  in 
conversation.  His  book  was  afterward  published  in  Palmyra.  I 
knew  the  publisher,  but  cannot  at  this  moment  remember  his  name. 
The  first  Mormon  newspaper  was  published  at  Canandaigua,  New 
York,  by  a  man  named  Phelps,  who  accompanied  Smith  as  an  apostle 
to  Illinois,  where  the  first  Mormon  city,  Nauvoo,  was  started. 

(Signed)  THTFBLOW  WEED. 

No.  19. 

Statement  by  J.  L.  Howgate,  formerly  of  Wayne   County,    N.  Y.,  copied 
from  the  Salt  Lake  Tribune. 

Spaulding  had  a  nephew  named  King,  who  got  a  printer  to  copy  the 
Spaulding  manuscript,  and  then  told  Hale,  a  school-teacher,  he  could 
start  a  new  religion  and  make  money  out  of  it,  outlining  his  plan, 
which  was  to  put  some  metallic  covers  and  gold  clasps  on  it — to  after- 
ward dig  up — and  with  a  big  flourish  proclaim  it  as  a  new  religion 
from  on  high.  Hale  declined  the  proposition.  Joe  Smith  then  took 
kindly  to  the  plan,  and  the  two,  pretending  to  have  visions,  then 
exhumed  the  book. 

No.  20. 
Letter  from  E.  S.  Gilbert,  giving  some  incidents  of  early  Mormonism. 

CANASEBAGA,  N.  Y.,  August  1,  1880. 
MKS.  ELLEN  E.  DICKINSON. 

DEAB  MADAM  :  Your  interesting  paper  in  Scribner,  entitled 
"  The  Book  of  Mormon,"  has  recalled  the  following  anecdote  to  my 
mind,  related  by  my  aunt,  Mrs.  Orill  Puller,  who  was  converted  to 
the  Mormon  faith  in  the  first  days,  and  emigrated  from  this  State  to 
join  the  Mormon  congregation,  located,  I  think,  at  Kirtland,  Ohio. 

It  appears  that  a  certificate  or  affidavit,  signed  by  the  three  wit- 
nesses— David  Whitmer,  Oliver  Cowdrey,  and  Martin  Harris— was  ap- 
pended to  the  "  Book  of  Mormon"  to  this  effect  :  "  We,  the  under- 


262  APPENDIX. 

signed,  have  seen  and  hefted  the  book  of  plates."  Arrived  at  her  des- 
tination, my  aunt  became  acquainted  with  David  "Whitmer,  who  lived 
there  ;  and  wishing  to  be  edified  by  the  account  of  a  reliable  eye-wit- 
ness concerning  the  appearance  and  peculiarities  of  the  wonderful 
plates,  she  took  early  opportunity  to  converse  with  him  on  the  sub- 
ject, when,  to  her  amazement,  the  veracious  Whitmer  assured  her  that 
he  never  had  seen  them. 

"  Suppose,"  said  he,  "  that  you  had  a  friend  whose  character  was 
such  that  you  knew  it  impossible  that  he  could  lie  ;  then  if  he  de- 
scribed a  city  to  you  which  you  had  never  seen,  could  you  not,  by  the 
eye  of  faith,  see  the  city  just  as  he  described  it  T'  She  answered  that, 
however  that  might  be,  the  certificate  attached  to  the  Mormon 
Bible  had  given  rise  to  the  belief  that  the  three  witnesses  had  actually 
seen  and  handled  the  book  of  plates. 

Thereupon  he  went  on  to  relate  the  bottom  facts,  which  formed 
the  basis  of  his  faith,  to  this  effect  :  That  he  went  into  the  woods 
after  some  maple  sap,  and  having  filled  two  large  pails,  he  set  out  to 
return  home.  The  pails  of  sap  were  so  heavy  that  he  was  obliged 
to  stop  and  rest  at  short  intervals,  and  the  sharp  roots  and  stubs 
hurt  his  bare  feet  so  badly  that  he  had  great  difficulty  in  getting 
along  at  all.  So  sitting  alone  in  the  woods,  he  fell  to  thinking  of 
Smith  and  of  the  plates  he  claimed  to  have  found,  and  finally,  to 
ease  his  doubts,  he  knelt  and  prayed  that  if  Joseph  Smith  was  a  true 
prophet,  and  the  plates  a  genuine  revelation  from  God,  that  the  sap 
might  be  made  lighter  as  a  token  thereof.  The  prayer  being  ended, 
he  arose,  and  lifted  the  sap,  which  now  had  apparently  no  weight 
whatever,  and  he  went  the  remaining  distance— I  think  a  half  mile  — 
without  setting  it  down  once,  getting  over  the  ground  easier  than  if 
empty-handed.  "Whether  Cowdrey  and  Harris  had  such  convincing 
proof,  I  do  not  know.  I  believe  I  read  in  the  Laiier-Day  Saints 
Herald,  that  an  angel  appeared  to  them,  holding  the  book  of  plates  in 
his  hands.  My  aunt's  family  did  not  remain  at  Kirtland  long  ;  they 
seceded  and  went  to  Michigan,  under  the  leadership  of  James  G. 
Strong  ;  if  I  remember  rightly,  renounced  Mormonisrn  some  time 
after,  and  are  now  living  somewhere  in  the  West.  David  Whitmer 
is  still  living,  though  very  aged.  These  details,  perhaps  unimportant 
in  themselves,  derive  a  possible  significance  in  connection  with  Mrs. 
McKinstry's  narrative,  showing  how  miracles  and  visions  were,  of 
necessity,  substituted  for  ocular  demonstration  of  the  existence  of 
the  plates.  You  are  at  liberty  to  make  any  use  of  these  statements 
that  you  choose,  and  I  remain, 

Yours  truly,  E.  S.  GILBEBT. 


APPENDIX.  263 

No.  21. 

Statement  of  Oliver  Smith,  found  in  an  old  book  in  the  Asior  Library. 

CONNEAUT,  OHIO,  August,  1833. 

When  Solomon  Spaulding  first  came  to  this  place,  he  purchased  a 
tract  of  land,  surveyed  it  out,  and  commenced  selling  it.  "While  in 
this  business  he  boarded  at  my  house  six  months.  All  his  leisure 
hours  were  occupied  in  writing  an  historical  novel  founded  upon  the 
first  settlers  of  this  country.  He  said  he  intended  to  trace  their 
journey  by  land  and  sea  till  their  arrival  in  America,  give  an  ac- 
count of  their  arts,  sciences,  civilization,  wars,  and  contentions.  In 
this  way  he  would  give  a  satisfactory  account  of  the  old  mounds,  so 
common  to  this  country.  During  the  time  he  was  at  my  house  ha 
read  one  hundred  or  more  pages  to  me  ;  Nephi  and  Levi  were  by 
him  represented  as  leading  characters,  etc.  When  the  "  Book  of 
Mormon  "  came  in  the  neighborhood,  and  I  heard  the  historical  part 
of  it  related,  I  at  once  said  it  was  the  writing  of  Solomon  Spaulding. 

No.  22. 

Kev.  N.  C.  Lewis,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  Susque- 
hannah  Co.,  Penn.,  in  1834,  made  a  sworn  statement  to  the  effect 
that  he  had  "  been  acquainted  with  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  for  some 
time  ;  being  a  relative  of  his  wife's,  and  residing  near  him,  have  fre- 
quent opportunities  of  conversation  with  him.  He  is  not  a  man  of 
veracity,  and  his  general  character  in  this  part  of  the  country  is  that 
of  an  impostor,  hypocrite,  and  liar." 

No.  23. 

RANDOLPH,  N.  Y.,  November  9,  1881. 
ELLEN  E.  DICKINSON  : 

DEAR  MADAM  :  I  have  read  with  interest  your  letters  on  the 
"  Book  of  Mormon,"  in  the  October  number  of  Scribner's  Monthly,  and 
take  the  liberty  to  offer  another  source  of  information.  There  was 
living  three  years  ago,  near  the  town  of  Gilroy,  Santa  Clara  Co., 
California,  a  Mrs.  Monroe,  who  claims  that  Joe  Smith  was  living  in 
her  father's  house  when  he  discovered  the  golden  plates  on  which 
the  "  Book  of  Mormon  "  was  inscribed,  and  that  the  translation  was 
made  then.  I  do  not  remember  very  much  of  her  story,  not  being 
interested  in  the  matter  at  that  time  ;  but  I  am  certain  you  can  ob- 
tain some  very  interesting  particulars,  if  you  can  reach  her. 
I  arn  very  truly  yours, 

ALICE  GREY  COWAN. 


APPENDIX. 

No.  2-±. 
Extracts  from  an  old  book  on  Mormonism  found  at  the  Astor  Library. 

Eleven  male  residents  of  Manchester,  Ontario  Co.,  N.  T.,  Novem- 
ber 3d  and  4th,  1833,  made  an  affidavit  that  the  family  of  Joseph 
Smith,  Sr.,  -with  whom  the  Gold  Bible  originated,  are  a  lazy, 
indolent,  intemperate  set,  and  their  word  is  not  to  be  depended 
on.  The  same  day,  in  the  same  year,  fifty-one  other  men  of  standing 
in  the  same  vicinity  state  :  "We,  the  undersigned,  have  been  ac- 
quainted with  the  Smith  family  for  a  number  of  years,  while  they 
resided  near  this  place,  and  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  we 
consider  them  destitute  of  that  moral  character  which  ought  to  en- 
title them  to  the  confidence  of  any  community.  Joseph  Smith,  Sr., 
and  his  son  Joseph,  in  particular,  were  considered  entirely  desti- 
tute of  moral  character,  and  addicted  to  vicious  habits. 

No.  25. 
Testimony  of  an  army  officer. 

From  an  army  officer  for  several  years  familiar  with  Mormon  habits 
we  learn  some  facts  which  show  their  animus  toward  the  govern- 
ment. In  1865  they  began  and  persistently  followed  up  the  practice 
of  arresting  soldiers  who  were  in  Salt  Lake  City  from  Camp  Douglass, 
and  fining  them  for  nominal  offence  which  they  induced  them  to 
commit,  such  as  giving  them  spirits,  and  then  arresting  them,  and 
fining  them  under  special  orders.  No  Mormon  would  swear  in  their 
behalf,  and  the  officers  had  no  remedy.  On  one  occasion  troops 
were  sent  to  rescue  the  imprisoned  men,  and  a  serious  conflict  was 
imminent  when  Brigham  Young  disavowed  the  action  of  officers,  act- 
ing under  his  orders,  to  escape  the  dilemma. 

The  Indians  of  Arizona,  Montana,  "Wyoming,  and  Dakota  found 
ready  market  with  Mormon  agents  for  government  horses,  and  any 
stolen,  so  that  at  one  time  thirty  branded  horses,  fully  recognized, 
were  found  in  Salt  Lake  City,  in  Mormon  stables,  within  two  weeks 
after  they  had  been  stolen  by  Indians.  The  same  was  true  of  cloth- 
ing and  other  supplies,  which  were  not  carried  to  the  tribes  by  the 
plunderers,  but  sold  to  the  Mormons  by  systematic  arrangement. 
This  was  one  reason  why  the  Mormons  themselves  were  rarely  dis- 
turbed by  Indians.  They  excited  the  Indians  against  the  building  of 
the  railroad  and  of  forts  and  settlements,  thus  to  preserve  their  iso- 
lation as  long  as  possible.  By  systematic  false  swearing  they  covered 
their  agents,  and  by  presents  and  supply  of  arms  and  powder 
fomented  Indian  hostilities  for  years. 


APPENDIX.  265 

No.  26. 

The  following  letter  from  Eev.  W.  H.  Kice,  of  Addison,  Steuben 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  tells  its  own  story.  There  is  a  possibility  that  L.  L.  Bice, 
of  Honolulu,  S.  I.,  may  have  a  Spaulding  manuscript  in  his  posses- 
sion ;  but  unquestionably  it  is  not  the  original  "  Manuscript  Found," 
from  which  the  "Book  of  Mormon"  was  constructed,  as  all  the  evi- 
dence given  in  these  pages  will  show.  AUTHOB. 


ADDISON,  N.  ¥.,  February  21,  1885. 
MBS.  ELLEN  E.  DICKINSON  : 

Yours  of  the  18th  is  received.  When  my  father  went  to  Honolulu, 
he  took  some  documents  which  had  not  been  examined  for  many 
years.  A  few  months  since  he  began  to  look  them  over,  and  found 
one  marked  "Conneaut  Story."  He  found  it  to  be  a  story  in  Script- 
ure narrative  style,  purporting  to  be  written  by  Eev.  Solomon 
Spaulding.  It  must  have  been  unnoticed  in  his  hands  forty-five 
years  or  more,  and  he  writes  me  that  he  has  no  recollection  as  to  its 
origin  or  how  it  came  into  his  possession.  His  age  is  eighty-four.  It 
has  been  examined  by  all  the  best  scholars  in  Honolulu,  including 
Eev.  Dr.  Hyde,  Judge  McCully  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  none  of 
them  has  expressed  a  doubt  that  it  is  an  original  manuscript  from  the 
pen  of  Solomon  Spaulding.  It  is  similar  in  style  to  the  "Book  of 
Mormon, "  but  is  not  identical  with  it  in  any  part.  It  is  signed  by 
several  "  witnesses,"  all  of  whom,  as  I  have  learned,  actual  residents 
of  Conneaut  or  its  vicinity — now  all  dead.  Hurlburt  is,  I  believe, 
one  of  the  names.  This  is  the  substance  of  all  I  know  about  it.  I 
should  think  there  could  be  no  doubt  that  Mr.  Spaulding  wrote  it ; 
but  whether  he  also  wrote  other  stories  in  similar  style  is  an  impor- 
tant question.  Yours  truly, 

W.  H.  EICB. 


No.  27. 
COPY     OF    THE   TITLE-PAGE   OF     THE   ORIGINAL     EDITION   OF 


THE 


(t 


A  copy  of  the  original  edition  of  the  "Book  of  Mor- 
mon" is,  without  doubt,  the  scarcest  book  published  in 


266  APPENDIX. 

the  nineteenth  century  which  has  obtained  any  reputa- 
tion. As  an  evidence  of  this,  a  gentleman  was  in  search 
of  a  copy  for  a  great  many  years,  and  always  unsuccessful, 
until  a  copy  came  into  his  possession  by  accident  in  New 
York,  among  a  lot  of  old  school  books,  which,  by  the 
by,  in  external  appearance  it  strongly  resembles. 

The  following  is  an  exact  copy  of  the  title-page  of  this 
book  : 

"  The)  Book  of  Mormon).  An  account  written  by 
the  hand  of  Mormon  from  plates  taken  from  the  plates 
of  Nephi.  Wherefore  it  is  an  abridgement  of  the 
Record  of  the  people  of  Nephi  ;  and  also  of  the  Lame- 
nites  ;  written  to  the  Lamenites  which  are  a  remnant  of 
the  House  of  Isreal  ;  and  also  to  Jew  and  Gentile  ; 
written  by  way  of  commandment  and  also  of  the  spirit 
of  Prophesy  and  of  Revelation,  written  and  sealed  up, 
and  hid  up  unto  the  Lord,  that  they  might  not  be  de- 
stroyed ;  to  come  forth  by  the  gift  and  power  of  God 
unto  the  interpretation  thereof  ;  sealed  by  the  hand  of 
Morini  and  hid  up  unto  the  Lord  to  come  forth  in  due 
time  by  the  way  of  Gentiles,  the  interpretation  thereof 
l)y  the  gift  of  God  ;  an  abridgement  taken  from  the 
Book  of  Ethen.  Also  which  is  a  record  of  the  people  of 
Jared  which  were  scattered  at  the  time,  the  Lord  con- 
founded the  language  of  the  people  when  they  were 
building  a  tower  to  get  to  Heaven  ;  which  is  to  show 
unto  the  remnant  of  the  House  of  Isreal  how  great  things 
the  Lord  hath  done  for  their  fathers,  and  that  they  may 
know  the  covenants  of  the  Lord,  that  they  are  not  cast 
off  forever  ;  and  also  to  the  convincing  of  the  Jew,  and 
Gentile  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ  the  Eternal  God,  mani- 
festing Himself  unto  all  nations.  And  now  if  there  bo 
fault,  it  be  the  mistake  of  man  ;  wherefore  condemn  not 


APPENDIX.  2G7 

the  things  of  God,  that  ye  may  be  found  spotless  at  the 
Judgment  seat  of  Christ. 

By  JOSEPH  SMITH,  JUNIOR, 

Author  and  Proprietor. 
PALMYRA. 

Printed  by  E.  D.  GRANDIN, 

For  the  Author. 

1830." 

Camp  Douglas  is  situated  on  a  hill  overlooking  the 
city.  It  is  occupied  by  several  regiments  of  Federal 
troops,  under  command  of  United  States  officers.  "While 
the  troops  are  a  nominal  safeguard  to  the  Gentiles  of 
Salt  Lake  Valley,  they  would  be  quite  inadequate  in 
number  to  protect  them  in  case  of  a  conflict  between  the 
Mormons  and  Gentiles. 

The  Rev.  Joseph  Cook  predicts  a  civil  war  in  Utah 
within  a  few  years  ;  in  fact,  at  almost  any  time,  as  a 
natural  sequence  to  the  events  now  transpiring  among 
the  Saints.  He  affirms  that  every  male  Mormon  is 
trained  and  ready  for  the  conflict.  He  also  asserts  that 
Mormonism  without  polygamy  is  so  dread  an  evil,  that  it 
should  be  exterminated  at  any  cost.  Every  Mormon  he 
considers  a  sworn  enemy  to  the  Federal  Government, 
and  that  Mormonism  is  a  political  as  well  as  spiritual 
hierarchy,  and  without  immediate  and  stringent  meas- 
ures are  used,  in  a  few  years  the  Mormon  leaders  will 
rule  every  State  west  of  the  Mississippi. 


269 


INDEX. 


B. 

"Book  of  Commandments"  for  the 
government  of  the  Church,  published 
while  at  Independence,  Mo.,  91. 

"Book  of  Mormon,"  copy  of  the  title- 
page  of  the  original  edition,  366. 

C. 

Celestial  marriage,  the  text  of  Joseph 
Smith's  pretended  revelation  on  the 
subject  at  Nauvoo  in  1843,  228. 

Clark,  George,  copy  of  his  letter  bear- 
ing on  the  Spaulding  manuscript,  244. 

Clay,  Henry,  his  correspondence  with 
Joseph  Smith  while  at  Nauvoo,  99. 

Conneaut,  O.,  visit  to  by  the  author  and 
reminiscences  of  Sam.  Spaulding  and 
the  first  Mormon  conference  held 
there  in  1834,  77. 

Cowan,  Alice  Grey,  important  testi- 
mony, 263. 

D. 

Dickinson,  Mrs.  Ellen  E.,  letter  from 
Palmyra  in  New  York  Evangelist  on 
the  "Early  Mormon  Haunts,"  245. 

G. 

Garfleld,  President,  account  of  the  au- 
thor's visit  to  Mentor  in  1880,  and  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Garfleld's  statements  con- 
cerning Joe  Smith  and  Rigdon  and 
the  Mormons  while  at  Kirtland,  only 
three  miles  from  Mentor,  253. 

Gilbert,  J.  W.,  statement  of  one  of  the 
type-setters  of  the  "Book  of  Mor- 
mon," 2-19. 


Gould,  Lorin,  statement  in  relation  to 
Hiram  and  Henry  Lake,  and  others, 
258. 

H. 

Haviland,  Mrs.  Urania,  statement  in 
regard  to  the  Spaulding  family,  259. 

Howe,  E.  D.,  who  aided  Hurlbnrt  in 
getting  possession  of  the  Spaulding 
manuscript;  a  thrilling  interview  with 
him  by  the  author  in  1880  described, 
72  ;  on  the  origin  of  the  old  Mormon 
Bible,  259. 

Howgate,  J.  L.,  statement  in  regard 
to  starting  a  new  religion,  261. 

Hurlburt,  D.  P.,  who  purloined  Spaul 
ding's  manuscript  ;  sketch  of  him,  62 ; 
a  thrilling  interview  with  him  by  the 
author  and  Oscar  E.  Kellogg  in  No- 
vember, 1880,  62;  statements  in  rela- 
tion to  his  connection  with  the  lost 
manuscript,  245,  260. 

J. 

Josephites,  The,  a  branch  of  Mormoni 
calling  themselves  "Josephites,"  and 
"  Latter-Day  Saints  of  the  Reorgan- 
ized Church  of  Jesus  Christ,"  215  ; 
their  present  number;  Joseph  Smith, 
Jr.,  their  spiritual  leader,  215  ;  de- 
scription of  a  colony  of  "  Latter-Day 
Saints"  at  Dennisport,Mass.,  223;  epit- 
ome of  their  faith,  226. 

K. 

Kellogg,  Oscar  E.,  statement  in  refer- 
ence to  the  author's  interview  with 
Dr.  Hurlburt,  245. 


270 


INDEX. 


Lake,  Henry,  statement  of  his  business 
and  social  relations  with  Spauldiug, 
who  often  read  to  him  from  the 
"  Manuscript  Found,"  243. 

Lake,  Hiram,  concerning  Mormonism 
in  Connecticut,  257. 

M. 

Mormonism,  founded  by  Joseph  Smith 
in  1830  at  Palmyra,  N.  Y.,  28 ;  the 
"Book  of  Mormon,"  printed  in  Pal- 
myra in  1830 ;  Mormon  Church  or- 
ganized soon  after,  42  ;  first  Mormon 
conference  held  at  Fayette,  N.  Y.,43; 
Sidney  Rigdon  preaches  the  first  Mor- 
mon sermon,  43;  the  first  mission- 
aries sent  out,  44; -removal  to  Kirt- 
land,  O.,  44 ;  rapid  spread  of  the  de- 
lusion, 45,  51  ;  the  name  of  "  Mor- 
mons" repudiated  acd  that  of  "Lat- 
ter-Day Saints  "  adopted,  51  ;  in  1835 
the  first  missionaries  sent  out  to  for- 
eign lands,  52 ;  history  of  the  Mor- 
mons at  Kirtland,  54  ;  description  of 
the  temple  built  there,  56 ;  the  Mor- 
mons in  Missouri,  82 ;  what  led  to 
the  arrest  of  Smith,  Rigdon,  and  other 
leaders,  and  their  imprisonment  and 
the  expulsion  of  their  followers  from  j 
Independence  after  incredible  suffer-  I 
ings,  which  they  had  provoked,  89  ;  j 
"  Book  of  Commandments,"  publish- 
ed in  1833,  91 ;  the  Mormons  at  Nau- 
voo,  94 ;  the  Mormon  temple  there, 
101;  a  "revelation"'  establishing  polyg- 
amy, 103 ;  brings  on  a  crisis  of  af- 
fairs at  Nauvoo  in  1844  ;  the  conflict 
and  death  of  the  "Prophet,"  108; 
Brigham  Young's  election  to  the 
presidency,  113  ;  sketch  of  his  early 
years  and  career  as  one  of  the 
"Twelve  Apostles,"  114;  elected  to 
be  the  "first  president,"  115  ;  exodus 
from  Nauvoo,  116  ;  re-establishment 
of  the  Saints  in  Utah,  125 ;  conflict 
with  the  Government,  the  "  Minute 
Men, "the  "Danites,"  the  "Mountain 
Meadow  Massacre,"  133 ;  death  of 
BrigliamYonng,  158  ;  number  of  Mor- 
mons at  the  present  da}-,  181 :  charac- 


ter of  the  converts  and  whence  drawn, 
185  ;  the  "  doctrines  "  of  Mormonism, 
200  ;  analysis  of  the  Mormon  faiih, 
302  ;  hierarchical  organization,  205  ; 
the  "Book of  Mormon,"  206  ;  Church 
polity,  209  ;  the  faith  of  the  "  Latter- 
Day  Saints,"  212  ;  their  mode  of  wor- 
ship, 213  ;  a  grand  conference  to  be 
held  at  Independence,  Mo.,  in  April, 
1885,  217 ;  extracts  from  an  old  book 
on  Mormonism  found  in  the  Astor 
library,  264 ;  testimony  of  an  army 
officer,  264. 

Miller,  Joseph,  letter  to  the  author  in 
regard  to  what  he  knew  of  Solomon 
Spaulding,  240. 

N. 

Nanvoo,  111.,  the  capital  of  Mormondom, 
95  ;  description  of  it  and  of  the  lead- 
ers while  there,  95  ;  description  of  the 
city  after  the  Mormons  abandoned  it, 
117 ;  the  temple  burnt  in  1848, 121. 

P. 

Patterson,  R.,  of  the  Presbyterian  Ban- 
««•.  an  extract  from  a  letter  written 
to  him  by  Mr.  Eudolph,  the  father 
of  Mrs.  General  Garfield,  252. 

Polygamy  in  Utah  was  established  by 
Smith  in  Nanvoo,  140;  Brigham 
Young,  immediately  after  the  settle- 
ment of  the  Saints  in  Zion.  had  a 
"revelation"  about  "celestial  mar- 
riage," and  did  his  utmost  to  promote 
polygamy,  both  by  his  teaching  and 
example,  140 ;  his  oflir ial  sanction 
and  the  ceremony  he  used  in  forming 
such  marriages,  143  ;  the  degrading 
and  awful  effects  of  the  practice,  146  ; 
copy  of  the  "  Edmunds  bill  "  for  the 
suppression  of  polygamy,  150  ;  copy 
of  a  bill  introduced  in;o  the  House  of 
Representatives,  June  19,  1881,  and 
ordered  to  be  printed,  153  ;  trial  of 
Rudger  Clauson  for  polygamy  by 
Judge  Zaue,  172  ;  John  Taylor's  tes- 
timony, 172  ;  Vanan's  speech  in  be- 
half of  the  prosecution,  174 ;  the 
Judge's  sentence,  178 ;  his  charge  to 
the  jury  in  the  same  case,  188. 


INDEX. 


271 


R 

Eedfield's,  Mrs.  Ann  Treadwell,  state- 
ment in  reference  to  the  Spaulding 
manuscript,  241. 

Rice,  W.  H.,  of  Honolulu,  and  Rice,  W. 
H.,  of  Addison,  N.  Y.,  important  tes- 
timony concerning  the  Spaulding 
manuscript,  265. 

Rigdon,  Sidney,  sketch  of  his  early 
life,  gifts,  and  character,  47  ;  meets 
Smith,  and  enters  into  all  his  schemes, 
48 ;  becomes  a  Campbellite  preacher, 
48;  his  power  as  an  advocate  of  the  new 
faith,  50  ;  a  great  number  of  converts 
at  Kirtland,  and  wonderful  scenes,  51 ; 
he  establishes  numerous  societies  in 
Canada,  Missouri,  Illinois,  Virginia, 
New  York,  and  in  nearly  all  the 
Northern,  Middle,  and  in  several  of 
the  Southern  States,  52;  Smith  the  tool 
of  Rigdon  in  formulating  the  "  Book 
of  Mormon"  from  the  "  Manuscript 
Found,"  which  he  copied  while  a  print- 
er in  Patterson's  office,  53;  president 
.  of  a  "wild-cat"  bank  at  Kirtland,  52; 
tricked  out  of  the  leadership  by  Brig- 
ham  Young  when  Smith  was  killed.  52; 
expelled  from  Nauvoo ;  becomes  a 
vagrant,  and  dies  in  obscurity  and 
poverty,  53. 

8. 

Salt  Lake  City,  its  population,  climate, 
and  natural  features  and  surround- 
ings, 187 ;  its  institutions,  regula- 
tions, society  matters,  etc.,  189. 

Smith,  Joseph,  the  founder  of  Mormon- 
ism  and  author  of  the  Mormon  Bible ; 
his  birth  and  some  account  of  his 
father's  family;  removal  to  Palmyra, 
N.  Y.,  28;  his  mother's  influence 
over  him,  30  ;  "  Joe  Smith"  becomes 
the  head  of  a  band,  whose  business 
was  to  sleep  all  day  and  search  for 
hidden  treasures  at  night,  30;  how  he 
lived  and  spent  his  time  during 
several  year*,  31 ;  becomes  a  religious 
fnnatic  during  a  revival,  claims  to 
work  miracles,  etc.,  and  gathers  a 
few  dissolute  followers,  34;  "Gold 
Bible  Hill,"  where  he  claimed  to  dis- 
cover the  plates  of  the  Mormon  Bible, 


35 ;  his  own  account  of  the  discovery, 
and  what  succeeded,  37;  he  inveigles  a 
rich  farmer,  Martin  Harris,  who 
furnished  him  with  money,  39;  Thur- 
low  Weed  declines  to  print  the  Bible, 
40;  the  book  is  at  last  published,  and 
creates  intense  excitement  in  Central 
and  Western  New  York,  41;  the 
Mormon  Church  organized  with  six 
members,  42;  the  "First.  Hegira" 
made  in  1831,  44 ;  immense  success  at 
the  West,  45  ;  Smith's  unsavory  repu- 
tation in  Palmyra,  46  ;  on  his  going  to 
Missouri  he  first  organizes  a  military 
command,  and  assumes  the  preroga- 
tives of  his  high  military  as  well  as 
sp;ritual  mission,  84 :  his  career  at 
Independence,  Mo.,  82  ;  his  career  at 
Nauvoo,  111.,  94  ;  his  "  revelation"  con- 
cerning polygamy  precipitates  a  crisis 
and  an  armed  conflict,  and  Smith  and 
his  brother  are  killed,108;  his  influence 
over  his  wife,  who  after  his  death 
published  a  statement  that  she  had 
no  faith  in  his  prophetic  power  or 
pretended  revelation?,  111. 

Smith,  Joseph,  Jr.,  the  leader  of  the 
Joseplsites,  215;  his  account  of  the 
persecutions  endured  in  Arizona,  219; 
he  strongly  and  bitterly  denounces 
the  Utah  Mormons  and  polygamy,  222. 

Smith,  Oliver,  letter  to  author,  261. 

Spaulding,  John,  his  testimony  about 
the  Spaulding  romance,  242. 

Spaulding,  Mrs.  Matilda  Spanlding 
McKinstry's  statement  regarding 
the  "  Manuscript  Found,"  237. 

Spaulding,  Samuel,  sketch  of  hi*  life,  13; 
circumstances  leading  to  his  writing 
the  original  of  the  Mormon  Bible,  15 ; 
the  romance  known  as  the  "Manu- 
script Found,"  16;  attempt  to  get  it 
published,  17 ;  reasons  for  believing 
that  Rigdon  made  a  copy  of  it  while 
in  Patterson's  printing-office,  17; 
Spaulding's  death,  17. 

Spaulding,  Mrs.  Samuel,  her  relations 
and  friends  among  the  leading  men 
of  Central  New  York,  19  ;  her  resi- 
dence with  "Squire  Sabine,"  her 
brother,  a  lawyer  of  distinctiou  and 
wealth,  19  ;  the  famous  "  hair-covered 


272 


INDEX. 


trunk,"  containing  sermons,  essays, 
novels,  and  the  famous  romance 
which  has  played  so  conspicuous  a 
part  in  the  Mormon  history,  20  ;  mar- 
ries Mr.  Uavison,  22 ;  the  Spaulding 
trunk  of  manuscripts  is  placed  in  the 
custody  of  a  cousin,  Jerome  Clark,  22; 
removes  to  Munson,  Mass.,  and  be- 
comes greatly  excited  over  what  she 
hears  of  the  Mormons,  and  the  report 
that  it  was  founded  on  her  husband's 
romance,  S3 ;  the  manuscript  stolen 
from  her  trunk, and  traced  to  one  Hurl- 
burt,  who  figures  in  these  pages,  27. 

T. 

Taylor,  John,  elected  as  successor  to 
Brigham  Young;  early  life  and  great 
abilities,  167;  founded  a  Mormon 
school  in  Paris,  called  "L'fitoile  de 
Deseret;"  translated  the  -'Book  of 
Mormon"  into  French  and  German; 
has  written  school  books  to  enlighten 
the  Mormons  on  spiritual  matters, 
168 ;  his  remarkable  testimony  in  the 
polygamy  case  of  Rudger  Clauson,  172. 

TJ. 

Utah  Territory,  boundary,  resources, 
possibilities,  etc.,  194. 

V. 

Villers,  Eev.  Diedrich,  recollections 
of  the  Mormons  in  Seneca  Co.,  N.  Y., 
249. 

W. 

Weed,  Thurlow,  statement  of  his  per- 
sonal knowledge  of  Joseph  Smith 
wliile  he  lived  in  Palmjra,  £60. 


Whitmer,  David,  one  of  the  original 
"  witnesses"  of  Joe  Smith,  217. 

Y. 

Young,  Brigham,  early  years,  113;  be- 
comes one  of  the  "  Twelve  Apostles,'1 
114;  elected  "First  President," and 
invested  with  the  "Keys,"  115;  con- 
flict with  the  State  authorities  and 
repeal  of  the  charter  of  Nanvoo  in 
1845,  115;  the  exodus  from  Nauvoo 
in  1846,  116 ;  the  famous  journey 
through  the  wilderness,  125;  the  arrival 
of  the  advance  company  of  the  Saints 
in  Utah,  125 ;  a  territory  organized 
and  "Young  made  governor  in  1849, 
127;  he  defies  the  power  of  the  United 
States  Government,  and  Judge  Drnm- 
mond  is  driven  from  his  bench  by  an 
armed  Mormon  mob,  128 ;  the  day 
of  Young's  arrival  at  Salt  Lake  CMty 
is  still  observed  (July  24th)  instead  of 
July  4th,  133;  the  "Minute  Men" 
and  the  "  Danites,"  which  he  organiz- 
ed for  military  purposes;  the  "  Moun- 
tain Meadow  Massacre,"  133  ;  John 
D.  Lee,  who  was  tried  and  executed 
by  our  Government  for  his  part  in 
this  butchery,  was  Brigham  Young's 
tool,  137;  his  efforts  in  favor  of  polyg- 
amy, 140;  grants  woman's  suffrage 
in  1871,  to  strengthen  Mormonism,148; 
death  of  Brigham  Young  in  1877,  158; 
outline  of  his  personal  traits  and  of 
his  life  and  intercourse  with  his  peo- 
ple and  wonderful  influence  over 
them,  161 ;  the  number  of  his  wives 
and  children,  156. 


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DEEMS  BIRTHDAY  BOOK. 

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DEILL  BOOK  IN  VOCAL  CULTURE  AND  GESTTJEE. 

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EASTERN  PBOTEKBS  AND  EMBLEMS. 

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GILEAD; 

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GODET'S  COMMENTARIES. 

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ON  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  ROMANS. 

Translated  from  the  French  by  REV.  A.  CUSIN,  M.A.,  Edinburgh.  The  Trans- 
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ON  ST.  JOHN'S  GOSPEL. 

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HARVEST  AND  THE  REAPEB. 

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HINDU  PHILOSOPHY  POPULARLY  EXPOUNDED; 

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HISTOET  OF  ENGLISH  BIBLE  TBANSLATION  . 

Revised  anil  Brought  down  to  the  Present  Time  by  THOMAS  J.  COSTANT,  D.D.. 
Member  of  the  Old  Testament  Revision  Committee.  A  Complete  History  of 
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thoughtful  ministers  and  laymen  may  be  enriched."— ,7.  G.  Butler,  D.D.,  author  Of 
Butler's  Bible  Work. 

"  As  an  artist,  a  scientist,  a  moralist,  a  historian  as  well  as  a  theologian,  Dr.  Sherwood 
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are  to  come  after."— New  York  Evangelist, 

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HISTOBICAL  LIGHTS; 

or,  Six  thousand  extracts  from  Standard  Histories,  and  Biographies,  illustrat- 
ing twenty  thousand  topics;  especially  arranged  for  Ministers,  Lecturers, 
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commentary  ever  written  on  Miatprophet.  In  the  '  Minor  Prophets'  lie  has  shown  the 
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spiritual  thought,  and  must  prove  abundantly  suggestive  to  every  thoughtful  reader."— 
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Princeton  Seminary. 

"  It  gives  me  a  heartfelt  joy  to  learn  of  your  design  to  repulillsh  Dr.  Pusey's  Minor 
Prnjihet.t  If  ever  there  was  profound  learning  combined  with  the  spirit  of  '  the  little 
child,' enlisted  in  the  task  of  old  Testament  exposition,  we  see  it  here.  I  cannot  al- 
ways accept  the  Doctor's  solution  of  knotty  points,  but  1  tremble  to  compare  my  own. 
questionings  with  his  entire  self-surrender  to  what  seems  to  him  the  mind  of  the 
Spirit.  Such  critical  skill  and  such  humanity  are  rarely  combined.— Bishop  A.  Cleve- 
land Coze,  Buffalo,  A".  Y. 

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happy  to  hear  that  an  American  edition  Is  about  to  be  published. "—Morgan  Dix,  D.D., 
New  York. 

"  1  am  glad  to  hear  that  you  propose  to  republish  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  Pusey's 
Commentary  on  the  Minor  Prophets  It  is  the  best  exposition  known  to  me  of  that 
section  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures.  Pusey's  Hebrew  scholarship  was  undoubted:  his 
learning  was  extensive;  his  acquaintance  particularly  with  patristic  literature,  was 
very  large,  and  his  heart  w^s  especially  devout.  His  well-known  ciiurch  views  do  not 


PUBLICATIONS  OF  F UXK  &  WAGNALLS,  NEW  YORK.  11 

obtrude  themselves,  and  alike  In  his  comments  on  Daniel  and  the  Minor  Prophets  he 
seems  to  me  to  be  on  his  knees  as  lie  studies — seeking  only  to  know  God's  meaning  and 
desiring  only  to  do  God's  will.  I  have  tjone  tlirouah.  his  Daniel  chapter  by  chapter— 
wondering  even  more  at  the  reverence  r-u»n  at  the  learning  of  the  expositor." — Wm. 
M.  Taylor,  D.D.,  A'ao  York. 

"  Dr.  Pnsey'a  '  Commentary  on  the  Minor  Prophets '  will  certainly  be  an  Interesting 
and  valuable  addition  to  your  list  of  publications." — Phillip*  Brooks,  D.I).,  Boston. 

"  The  republication  of  Dr.  Pusey's  Commentary  on  the  Minor  Prophets  Is  much  to 
be  desired.  A  work  of  such  rare  scholarship, judgment  and  devotional  spirit  ought  to 
be  far  more  widely  known  in  this  country.  I  ;im  glad  to  Near  that  a  New  York  house 
has  undertaken  the  reprint."— Biihop  F.  D.  Uumingion,  of  Central  New  York. 

REVISED  NKW  TESTAMENT.     (Teacher's  Edition.) 

With.  New  Index  and  Concordance,  Harmony  of  the  Gospels,  Maps,  Parellel 
Passages,  and  many  other  Indispensable  Helps.  Cloth,  $1.60. 

REVISERS'  ENGLISH. 

A  spicy  critirisni  on  the  English  of  the  Bevisers  of  the  New  Testament.  By 
BEV.  GEO.  WASHINGTON  MOON,  England.  12mo,  cloth,  75  cents. 

KOCK  THAT  IS  HlGHEB  THAN  I. 

A  beautiful  gift  book  suitable  at  all  seasons.  By  BEV.  JOHN  EDGAB  JOHMSOS. 
8vo,  cloth,  75  cents. 

ROME  IN  AMERICA. 

BY  JUSTIN  FDLTON,  D.D.    12mo,  paper,  30  cents;  cloth,  75  cents. 
SABBATH  FOE  MAN,  THE, 

With  special  reference  to  the  rights  of  Workingmen,  based  on  Scripture,  and  a. 

Symposium  of  Correspondence  with  more  than  250  representative  Men  of  all 

Nations  and  Denominations.    By  BEV.  WILBUB  F.  CBAFTS     Large  12mo,  $1.50. 

The  author  has  gathered  an  immense  amount  of  information  from  all  parts  of  the 

world  bearing  on  the  present  state  of  Sabbath  observance,  existing  Sabbath  laws,  the 

views  of  leading  men  in  reference  to  the  Sabbath,  and  a  full  bibliography  of  Sabbath 

literature.    It  is  a  book  that  ought  to  flud  its  way  into  every  family  circle  in  the  land. 

SCHAFF-HERZOG  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  RELIGIOUS  KNOWLEDGE; 

or.  Dictionary  of  Biblical,  Historical,  Doctrinal  and  Practical  Theology.  Based 
On  the  Beal-Eneyklopiidie  of  Herzog,  Pitt  and  Hauck.  Edited  by  PHIMP 
SCHAFF,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  Professor  in  Union  Theological  Seminary,  assisted  by 
BEV.  .-AMUEL  JACKSON,  M.  A.,  and  BEV.  D.  3.  SOHAFF.  Complete  in  3  volumes. 
BoyalSvo,  2,5  Opp.,  cloth,  each  $6.00;  sheep,  $7.50;  half  morocco,  $9.00;  full 
morocco,  gilt,  $12.00. 

"  It  Is  worthy  of  its  name,  contains  the  matter  of  the  great  German  work  In  which 
we  Americans  are  Interested,  with  many  new  contributions  from  the  most  competent 
specialists  among  ourselves.  It  will  be  of  great  and  lasting  value  to  editors,  students, 
professorsand  clergymen. "—John  JJ".lt,  D.D.,  A'ew  York. 

"  The  articles  are  concise,  yet  full.  The  volume  Is  a  mine  of  fresh  and  interesting 
information  on  all  Scriptural  and  ecclesiastical  matters  In  which  lif-  pure  nuggets  ready 
fort  e  hand  of  the  seeker.  The  work  furnishes  ample  proof  of  laborious  carefulness 
and  vigilant  accuracy." — W.  Ormiston,  D.U.,  LL.D.,  j\'eiv  York. 

"  The  Schaff-Herzog  Is  the  very  best  Encyclopaedia  published  in  any  language.  For 
variety,  amplitude  and  exactness  of  useful  information  in  the  branches  of  knowledge 
covered  by  it,  I  am  acquainted  with  no  work  that  equals  it." — Prof.  JKuswell  D.  Mttu/i- 
cock,D.D.,  Aew  York. 

"  It  Is  certain  that  this  Encyclopaedia  will  fill  a  place  in  our  Theological  Literature  in 
which,  for  a  long  time,  it  will  have  uo  rival."— Prof.  A.  A.  Hodge.,  D.D ,  Princeton  Ttieo. 
Seminary. 

"  Dr.  Schaff's  '  Religious  Encyclopaedia'  may  well  be  called  the  joint  product  of  the 
scholarship  of  the  world.  It  is  the  result  not  solely  of  any  one  thinker  or  one  class  of 
thinkers,  but  of  scholars  and  schools  widely  diversified  in  their  intellectual  habits  and 
tastes.  Itnot  only  deserves  to  form  a  part  of  every  good  library  for  students  of  general 
literature,  but  it  is  pre-eminently  valuable  as  forming  in  itself  a  compact  theological 
library."— Prof.  Edward  A.  Park,  D.D. 

"  I  have  long  been  acquainted  with  the  original  work  of  Herzog,  which  In  scientific 
structure  and  profound  learning  has  held  the  first  place  among  works  of  its  kind.  The 

Err  sent  edition,  to  which  Dr.  Schaff's  accomplished  supervision  adds  so  much  worth, 
i invaluable. "— Julius  U.  Seelye,  Amlierst  College. 

"  I  am  delighted  with  the  '  Religious  Encyclopaedia  '  edited  bv  Dr.  Schaff,  who  has 
certainly  enriched  our  American  libraries  with  n  greater  store  of  ripe  sacred  knowl- 
edge than  any  other  living  scholar.  This  encyclopaedia  is  Invaluable  for  scope  of  sub- 
jects, for  richness  of  knowledge,  ami  for  general  reliableness  of  judgment."— Act. 
henry  Ward  BeeiJier. 


12  PUBLICATIONS  OF  FUXK  &  WAGNALLS,  NEW  YORK. 

STABS  AND  CONSTELLATIONS  . 

By  ROYAL,  HILL.  A  very  ingenious  and  simple  chart  by  which  any  one  can 
locate  the  fixed  Stars  without  Instruments,  Globes  or  Maps.  Super-royal,  line 
paper,  4to,  with  2  charts  and  14  cuts,  price  $1.00. 

This  work  is  something  wholly  new.  It  will  supply  a  long  felt  want  in  every  school, 
Academy  and  College.  Every  student  or  scholar  will  find  it  a  valuable  acquisition  in 
his  library. 

Every  constellation  in  the  Zodiac  is  delineated  with  remarkable  accuracy  in  white  and 
black  cuts.  These  Zodiacal  cuts  also  show  the  relative  size  and  exact  position  of  each 
star  visible  to  the  naked  eye;  and  the  exact  path  of  the  sun  is  given  so  that  any  one 
can  instantly  give  the  precise  location  of  the  sun  for  any  day  in  the  year  with  absolute 
certainty. 

This  work  gives  an  Interesting  description  of  every  conspicuous  object  in  the 
heavens,  excluding  the  planets.  And  a  system  of  indexes  affords  every  facility  to 
make  the  book  the  more  practical  and  convenient  thau  any  work  on  the  stars. 

STOEIES  IN  RHYME  FOB  HOLIDAY  TIME. 

By  EDWARD  JEWITT  WHEELER.  With  29  illustrations  by  Walter  Satterlee.  A 
holiday  book  for  young  readers.  $1.75. 

"  Quite  above  the  average. "—^V.  Y.  Nation, 

"  Beplete  with  happy  hits  and  situations." — N.  Y.  Times. 

"  One  of  the  brightest  child's  books  of  the  year."— &  S.  Times. 

"  Brlghtand  rollicking,  fullof  fun,  but  pure  and  wholesome."— Chicago  Advance. 

"  A  really  charming  book."— Mary  Mapes  Dodge,  Editor  St.  Nicholas. 

"  The '  Jioy  to  the  Schoolmaster  '  is  worthy  of  Dr.  Holmes." — Tlie  American. 

"  Mr.  Wheeler  ranks  among  the  first  of  writers  of  juvenile  literature.  "—Albany  Even- 
ing Journal. 

THE  BUNTLING  BALL. 

A  Greece-American  Play.  A  Keen  Satire  on  Kew  York  Society.  By  one  of  the 
most  brilliant  and  well-known  of  living  writers.  Illustrated  by  C.  D.  WELDON. 
12mo,  $1.50;  gilt  edge,  $2.00. 

Opinions  of  the  Press: 

"  It  will  be  enjoyed  immensely  Dy  every  one."— Globe,  Bonon. 

"  A  notable  production ;  the  writer  has  music  in  his  soul." — Post,  Hartford. 

"  Capitally  illustrated ;  one  of  the  most  amusing  of  books." — 2'ress,  Philadelphia. 

"  The  brochure  is  clear,  the  illustrations  of  marked  merit."— Dispatch,  Pittsburgh. 

"  As  a  social  satire,  it  deserves  a  high  place."— Telegram,  Xew  Ynrk. 

"  A  pungent,  rhythmical  burlesque.    It  author  is  no  novice."— Inter-Ocean,  Chicago. 

"  Abounds  in  audacious  puns  and  merry  quips  and  sly  jokes."— Examiner,  iVeio  York. 

"  It  is  graphic  and  pungent." — Independent,  A'ew  York. 

"  We  read  it  with  no  little  pleasure."— Herald  <£  Presbyter,  Cincinnati. 

"No  book  can  compare  with  it  for  dramatic  brilliancy,  biting  yet  good  natured, 
sarcasm  and  very  peculiar,  refined  and  original  wit."—  Women's  Journal,  Boston. 

THEOLOGY  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT. 

By  DB.  GUST.  FE.  OEHLEB,  late  Professor  Ordinarius  of  Theology  in  Tubingen, 
Leipzig.  This  Amer  can  edition  is  edited  by  PBOF.  GEO.  E.  DAY,  D.D.,  of  Yale 
College.  It  has  been  introduced  as  a  class-book  at  Yale  and  other  seminares. 
Universally  praised  both  in  Europe  and  America.  1  vol. ,  8vo,  cloth,  $3.00. 

"  Oehler's  Theology  of  the  Old  Testament  has  for  a  generation  been  considered  as  at 
the  head  of  all  treatises  on  the  subject— a  subject  which  just  now  has  assumed  unusual 
prominence,  especially  to  those  who  are  persuaded  that  the  Old  Testament  and  the 
New  stand  or  fall  together."—?  W.  Chambers,  JJ.D. 

THE  MENTOB. 

By  ALFBED  AYP.ES,  author  of  "  The  Orthoepist,"  "  The  Verbalist,"  etc. 
Luxuriously  bound,  cloth,  $1.00. 

"  In  every  respect  one  of  the  most  admirable  books  on  manners  and  manner.  It 
possesses  high  literary  merit. "-Evening  Journal,  Chicago. 

"  The  Mentor,"  take  it  for  all  in  all,  is  perhaps  the  best  book  of  its  kin  d  that  has  been 
written ;  it  is  eminently  sensible,  and  is  wholly  free  from  the  artificially  and  priggish- 
ness  that  usually  characterise  such  books.  It  is  really  an  admirable  volume  to  put 
into  the  hands  of  young  people ;  but  while  its  lessons  are  useful  to  both  sexes,  they  ar« 
especially  so  to  young  men.  Its  teachings  will  greatly  tend  to  give  them  confidence, 
and  consequently  to  make  them  feel  at  ease  and  to  appear  to  advantage  in  society.  ' — 
Literary  A  tics,  Aew  York. 


PUBLICATIONS  OF  FUNK  <£•  WAGNALLS,  NEW  YORK.  13 

THROUGH  THE  PRISON  TO  THE  THRONE. 

Illustrations  of  Life  from  the  Biography  of  Joseph.  By  KEV.  JOSEPH  S.  VAN 
DYKE.  16mo,  cloth,  254  pp.,  $1.00. 

THOUGHTS  OF  JOHN  FOSTEB. 

Collated,  arranged  and  indexed.  By  W.  W.  EVEBTS,  D.D.  Price,  cloth,  12mo, 
$1.00. 

THE  TREASURY  OP  DATED. 

By  CHARLES  H.  SFCBGEON.  STO,  6  vols.,  strong  cloth  binding,  $12.00;  sheep, 
$16.50  per  set. 

"  Mr.  Spurgeon's  great  work  on  the  Psalms  is  without  an  equal  as  an  exposition  of 
that  portion  or  Scripture.  Eminently  practical  in  his  own  teaching,  ho  lius  collect eil  in 
these  volumes  the  best  thoughts  of  the  best  minds  on  the  Psalter,  and  especially  or'  that 
great  body  loosely  grouped  together  as  the  Puritan  divines.  I  heartily  welcome  thu 
great  work." — Jutm  Hall,  JJ.JJ. 

"  The  most  important  and  practical  work  of  the  age  on  the  Psalter  is  the  '  Treasury 
of  David,'  by  Charles  H.  Spurgeon.  Ic  is  full  of  the  force  and  genius  of  this  celebrated 
preacher,  and  rich  in  selections  from  the  entire  range  of  literature." — lj/iitip  KclMff, 

"  I  have  used  Mr.  Spurgeon's  '  Treasury  of  David '  for  three  years,  and  found  it 
worthy  of  its  name.  Whoso  goeth  in  there  will  find'  rich  spoils.'  "-T.  L.  Cuyler,  U.i). 

THE  REAPER  AND  HIS  HARVEST. 

Giving  the  results  of  the  labors  of  Kev.  E.  P.  Hammond  (Evangelist*,  for  the 
Conversion  of  Children.  Edited  by  KEV.  P.  C.  HEADLEY.  Large  12mo,  $1.50. 

THIRTY  THOUSAND  THOUGHTS. 

On  all  Subjects;  From  all  Sources.  Authorized  American  Edition.  Edited  by 
the  BEV.  CANON  SPENCE,  REV.  JOSEPH  S.  EXELL,  KEV.  CHABLES  NEIL,  with  intro- 
duction by  VEHY  KEV.  DEAN  HOWON,  D.D.  Complete  in  seven  volumes.  One 
every  three  months.  Vols.  I.,  II.,  in.  and IV.  ready.  $3.50  each. 

THE  CLEW  or  THE  MAZE; 

or,  Modern  Infidelity  and  How  to  Meet  It.  Toge'her  with  "  The  Spare  Half 
Hour."  By  BEV.  C.  H.  SPUKQEON.  Paper,  IE  cents;  cloth,  75  cents. 

TALKS  TO  FARMERS. 

By  KEV.  CHABLES  H.  SPUEGEON.    12mo,  360  pp.,  cloth,  $1.00. 

TALKS  TO  BOYS  AND  GIRLS  ABOUT  JESUS. 

With  bible  Links  to  make  a  Complete  and  Chrqnological  Life  of  Christ  for  the 
Young.  Edited  by  BEV.  W.  F.  CBAFTS.  12mo,  400  pp.,  cloth,  75  cents:  illus- 
trated, $1.50. 

THE  HOLY  BIBLE. 

Translated  according  to  the  Letter  and  Idiom  of  the  Original  Languages  by 
ROBERT  YOONG,  LL.D.,  author  of  "Analytical  Concordance  of  the  Bible,"  etc. 
STO,  764pp.,  cloth,  $2.00. 

TRAPS  FOR  THE  YOUNG. 

A  thrilling  description  of  the  author's  adventures  with  crime,  and  in  bringing 
the  victims  to  justice.  A  book  for  parents,  divested  of  all  improper  language 
or  representations.  By  ANTHONY  COMSIOCK,  of  the  Society  for  the  Suppression 
of  Vice,  author  of  "  Frauds  Exposed."  12mo,  eloth,  $1  00. 

WALL  STREET  IN  HISTORY. 

Giving  the  History  of  this  Street  from  Colonial  Times  to  the  present  date. 
By  MAETHA  J  LAMB,  author  of  "  History  of  New  York."  Copiously  illustrated; 
4to,  cloth,  $2.00. 

WHAT  OUR  GIRLS  OUGHT  TO  KNOW. 

By  MAEY  J.  STUDLKY,  M.D.    A  most  practical  and  valuable  book:  should  be 

placed  in  the  hands  ot  every  girl.    Intelligently  read,  it  will  accomplish  much 

in  the  elevation  of  the  human  race.    12mo,  cloth,  $1.00. 
WHY  FOUR  GOSPELS  ? 

By  D.  S  GaEGvBY,  D.D.,  President  of  Lake  Forest  University.    New  edition, 

I2mo,  $1.50. 

"  This  is  a  master-work  upon  its  special  theme.  It  is  the  only  complete  and  con- 
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writers."— .7.  Glentiaart/i  Sutler,  D.D.,  Author  "  Butler's  Bible  Work." 


14  PUBLICATIONS  OF  FUNK  &  WAG NALLS,  NEW  YORK. 

giro  jitauchml   jieries. 


Best  Books  for  a  Trifle,  printed  in  readable  type,  on  fair  paper,  and  bound  in 
munilla,  without  abridgment  ercept  Nos.  6-7,  9-10.  All  books  with  star  (*) 
(16  vols.)  ar  <  also  bound  in  one  volume,  cloth,  $3.50.  j&f Books  with  dagger 
(t)  are  also  bound  separate  y  in  cloth. 

No.  Price. 

*1.       JOHN  PLOUGHMAN'S  TALK.    Spurgeon.,.1  -n^i,  »n  -in 

CHOICE  OF  BOOKS.    Carlyle.    4to }  Botn »°  l2 

*2.        MANLINESS  OF  CHEIST     Ihotuas  Hughes.    4to.... 10 

3.  ESSAYS.    Lord  Macaulay.    4to 15 

4.  LIGHT  OF  ASIA.    Edwin  Arnold.    4to 15 

*5.       IMITATION  OF  CHBIST.    Thomas  a  Kempis.    4to 15 

*6-7.    LIFK  OF  CHRIST.    Canon  Far rar.    4to 50 

8.        ESSAYS.    Thomas  CarLyle.    4to. 20 

*9-10.  LIFE  AND  WORK  OF  ST.  PAUL.    Canon  Farrar.    4to 60 

*11.       SELFCULTUBE.    Prof.  J.  8.  Blackie     4to 10 

t!2-19.  K.NIGHT  s  POPULAK  HIBTOBY  CF  ENGLAND.    4to ; 280 

*20-21.  LETTERS  TO  WORKMAN  AND  LABORERS.    Ruskin.    4to 3J 

22.  IDYLS  OF  THE  KING.    Alfred  Tennyson.    4to 20 

23.  LIFE  OF  ROWLAND  HILL.    V.  J.  Charlesworth.    4to 15 

24.  TOWN  GEOLOGY.    Charles  Kingsley.    4to 15 

25.  ALFRED  IHE  GREAT.    Thos.  Hughes.    4to 20 

26.  OUTDOOR  LIFE  IN  EUROPE.    E  P  THWING.    4to 20 

27.  CALAMITIES  OF  AUTHORS     I.  D'Israeli.    4to 20 

28.  SALON  OF  MADAME  NECKEB.    Parti.    4to 15 

29.  ETHICS  OF  THE  DOST.    John  Ruskin.    4$o 15 

30-31.  MEMORIES  OF  MY  EXILE.    Louis  Kossuth.    4to  40 

*32.       MISTER  HORN  AND  His  FRIENDS.    Illustrated.    4to 15 

33-34.  ( (RATIONS  OF  DEMOSTHENES.    4to 40 

35.  FRONDES  AGRESTES.    Jo  tin  Ruskin.    4to 15 

36.  JOAN  OF  ARC.    Alphonse  de  Lamartine.    4to 10 

37.  THOUGHTS  OF  M.  AUBELIUS  ANTONINUS.    4to 15 

88.       SALON  op  MADAME  NECKEB.    Part  II.    4to. 15 

39.       THE  HERMITS.    Charles  Kingsley.    4to 15 

*40.       JOHN  PLOUGHMAN'S  PICTUHES.    Spurgeon.    4to 15 

*41.       PULPIT  TABLE- J.ALK.    Dean  Ramsay.    4to 10 

*42.       BIBLE  AND  NEWSPAPER.    C.  H.  tjpurgeon.    4to 15 

43.  LACON.    Rev.  C.Colton.    4to 20 

44.  GOLDSMITH'S  CITIZEN  OF  THE  WoiiLD.    4to 20 

45.  AM.  BIC A  REVISITED.    George  Augustus  Sala.    4to 20 

46.  LIFE  OF  C.  H.  SPUBGEON.    8vo 20 

t47,        Jo -<N  CALVIN.    M.  Guizot.    4to  . . 15 

t*  i-49.  DICKENS'  CHRISTMAS  BOOK.    Illustrated.    8vo 60 

50.        SHAIBP'S  CULTURE  AND  RELIGION.    8vo 15 

tol-52.  GODET  s  COMMENTARY  ON  LUKE.    8vo 200 

t53.       DIABY  OF  A  MINISTER'S  WIFE.    Parti.    8vo 15 

154-57.  VAN  DORKN'S  COMMENTARY  ON  LUKE.    8vo  300 

t58.       DIARY  OF  A  MINISTER  s  WIFE.    Part  II.    8vo 1 1 

69.  THE  NUTRITIVE  CURE.    Dr.  Robert  Walter.    8vo 15 

t60.       SARTOR  RESAKTUS.    Thomas  Carlyle.    4io '*5 

J61-62.  LOTHAIR.    Lord  Beaoousfleld.    8vo 50 

63.  THE  PERSIAN  QUEEN.    E.  P.  Thwing.    8vo 10 

64.  SALON  OF  MADAME  NECK  ER.    Partin.    4to.  15 

tG5  -66.  HISTORY  OF  ENGLISH  B  BLE  TRANSLATION.    Conant 50 

67.       INGEBSOLL  ANSWERED.    Joseph  Paiker,  D.D.    8vo 15 

t68-69.  STUDIES  IN  MARK.    D.  C.  Hughes.    8vo (iO 

70.  JOB'S  COMFORTERS.    A  Sa'ire.    Dr.  Parker.    16mo 10 

t71.       REVISER'S  ENGLISH.    G  W.  Moon,    liimo 20 

fi2.        CONVERSION  OF  CHILDREN.    Hammond.    12mo.  «0 

73.  NEW  TESTAMENT  HELPS.  Rev.  W.  F.  Crafts.    8vo 20 

74.  OPIUM — ENGLAND'S  POLICY.    Liggins.    8vo....   10 

t75.       BLOOD  <  F  JKSUS.    Rev.  Wm.  A.  Reid.    12mo 10 

76.        LESSON  IN  THE  CLOtET.     Chas.  F.  Deems,  D.D.     12mo 20 

tT7-78.  HEROES  AND  HOLIDAYS.    Rev.  W.  F.  Crafts.     12mo 60 

79.       REMINISCENCES  OF  LYMAN  BEECHEB,  D.D.    8vo..... 10 


PUBLICATIONS  OF  FUXK  &  WAGXALLS.  NEW  YORK.  15 


Biography,  Popular  Science,  Travel,  History  and  General  Literature.  Previous 
numbers  (1-79)  of  this  Library  are  known  as  STANDARD  SEE  ES.  These  books 
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